Written by: Waseem Abbas
Posted on: March 13, 2023 | 
| 中文
Shaheen Shah Afridi appealing against Quetta's Jason Roy
The Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2023 has been a real runs fest, characterized by high-scoring games and a flurry of boundaries and sixes throughout the competition. The aggregate run rate in this edition of PSL, 8.9 (178.58 runs per inning), is the highest rate in the history of PSL and the highest rate in T20 tournaments around the world over the last one year. Smaller boundary sizes and flatter pitches have provided batters with the opportunity to exploit the runs heist, known as PSL 8. Pakistan is traditionally known for producing pacers; however, many batters have emerged in this PSL, who have shown their capability to smash the ball out of the park. As the 8th edition of PSL is drawing to an end, let us recap all the important highlights, top performers, teams' performances and the talents that emerged.
Saim Ayub and Babar Azam
There is no award for guessing who the leading run-scorer of the tournament is, because Multan's captain, Mister Consistent, Muhammad Rizwan, is leading the batting charts as expected. National team captain, Babar Azam, who is leading Peshawar in this PSL, is the second-highest run-getter in the ongoing PSL with 416 runs. The surprise name in the highest run-getters is all-rounder Imad Wasim, who after being axed from the national team after the 2021 T20 World Cup, was eager to prove his worth in order to claim his spot back in the national team. The all-rounder is having a dream PSL and is one of the early contenders for the best player of the tournament award. He has amassed 404 runs at a strike rate of 170, besides taking 9 wickets in 10 matches.
(L to R) Karachi Kings' Shoaib Malik, Imad Wasim and Muhammad Amir
Azam Khan, the young cricketing prodigy known for his explosive batting, has made a strong case for a national comeback. Shunned as "Parchi”, Sifarshi” and “Mota” in the initial years of his career, he was trolled for being overweight and for being Moin Khan’s son. Azam has made a resounding comeback and dumfounded his critics, as his exploits with the bat for Islamabad United have garnered praise from fans and pundits alike, and it is likely that we will see him back in national colors again. He hits the ball outside the fence with great ease, while his peddle-scoop shot against Quetta Gladiators on February 24 was mindboggling.
Multan and Lahore's bowlers have outperformed everyone in the batting-friendly conditions, as Multan's bowlers Abbas Afridi (22 wickets) and Ihsanullah (20 wickets) are leading the charts, followed by Lahore’s Rashid Khan (15 wickets), Shaheen Afridi (14 wickets) and Harris Rauf (14 wickets).
Two young uncapped players who have made constant headlines in this PSL are Peshawar Zalmi’s opener Saim Ayub, and Multan Sultan’s pacer Ihsanullah. The 20-year-old Saim has scored 309 runs at an impressive strike rate of 167 with 5 half centuries during this PSL. Saim could be the answer to Pakistan's search for a long-term explosive top-order player, who has shades of Saeed Anwar's stroke play in his game. The Karachi-born southpaw has delivered scintillating performances in Pakistan Cup and National T20 Cup in 2022 as well, and is just a step away from the national call-up, as was predicted in the preview by Youlin before the start of the tournament. Ihsanullah, a right-hand express fast bowler, who can constantly click 150 km/hour, is the second-highest wicket-taker of the tournament with 20 scalps at an impressive average of 14.60 and economy of 7.36. It would not be a surprise to see Ihsanullah in national colors against Afghanistan later this month. Other emerging players who impressed in this year’s PSL include Multan Sultan’s Abbas Afridi and Usama Mir, Peshawar’s Haseebullah Khan, Lahore’s Abdullah Shafiq and Karachi’s Tayyab Tahir.
Ihsanullah bowling
Karachi Kings and Quetta Gladiators have been eliminated from the tournament, winning only three games respectively out of ten games. Kings' journey was a tough one, as they lost many close games, and many of their players were not fully available, either due to national duties or injuries. Their first-choice openers, Sharjeel and Wade, could not click, neither did their platinum pick Haider Ali and experienced Shoaib Malik. Amir did well with the ball but was injured mid-way, which hampered the Kings' already depleted bowling lineup. Quetta had similar issues as well. Their foreign players couldn't deliver, as Guptill only performed in two games, both against Karachi Kings, and Jason Roy could only score one fifty-plus score. The local core of Sarfraz, Nawaz, Naseem and Iftikhar could not live up to expectations, causing the team to exit in the first round of PSL for the 4th consecutive year.
Karachi's Matthew Wade playing a shot against Multan
Lahore has lived up to the expectations of being the best bowling lineup in the tournament, and the deadly trio of Shaheen, Rashid and Rauf are amongst the top five wicket-takers of the event. All of them have nailed their respective roles; Shaheen at the start of the inning, Rashid in the middle overs and Rauf at the backend of the inning, have both contained runs and made important breakthroughs. David Weise, Sikandar Raza and Zaman Khan have complemented them very well. Fakhar and Abdullah Shafiq have once again taken the burden of Qalandars’ batting, with occasional brilliance from Sikandar, Sam Billings and Hussain Talat.
Lahore's Fakhar and Billings
United has found new heroes in Rana Faheem Ashraf and Azam Khan, who have complemented the existing core of Clin Munro, Hasan Ali, Asif Ali and Shadab Khan. Faheem, the Ben Stokes of Pakistan, has so far chased down four targets for United this PSL, the most famous one against Multan Sultans by chasing 20 in the last over. It could be a career-changing tournament for Faheem if he continues to perform consistently. Munro and Azam have perfected their roles, while Hasan Ali and Tom Curran were effective with the ball. United could not, however, utilize their emerging players properly, the likes of Zeeshan Zameer, Mubasir Khan and Hasan Nawaz.
Team Islamabad United
Zalmi played an attacking brand of cricket under Babar, with the likes of Harris, Saim, Tom Cohler Cadmore and Rowmen Powell constituting the core. Their bowling, however, was the weaker aspect, as it couldn’t defend 240 plus target twice in the tournament. Sultans were considered the best batting lineup, and they showed why there was so much hype around their batting. However, it was their bowling that surprised all, as the inexperienced trio of Ihsanullah, Abbas Afridi and Usama Mir bowled brilliantly, containing the oppositions to small totals throughout the tournament.
Team Peshawar Zalmi
Lahore and Multan will face each other in the qualifier; while Peshawar will play against Islamabad in the eliminator 1. The losing side of the qualifier will face the winner of the eliminator 1 for a spot in the final against the winner of the qualifier. The final is scheduled for the 19th of March at the Qaddafi Stadium, Lahore.
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