Follow UsLahore Qalandars scripted T20 history, chasing down 202, the highest run-chase in any T20 franchise competition final, on May 25 (Sunday) against Quetta Gladiators. It wasn’t like any other final; it was a final that had its share of thrills, as several subplots ran through the entirety of the clash.
Sikandar Raza, who was part of Zimbabwe’s XI for their one-off Test against England, reached ten minutes before the toss. The Zimbabwean all-rounder was named in the playing XI, and iconically, played a vital role towards the end, when Qalandars required 47 runs off the final three overs.
Raza smashed a seven-ball 22, an innings where he hit two fours and two sixes, taking the Qalandars over the line in the penultimate ball of the run chase. It was the highest ever run-chase in the history of a T20 competition final, surpassing KKR’s 200/7 in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2014 final.
Earlier in the day, Hasan Nawaz put on a show for the Gladiators, tonking a 43-ball 76, laced with 12 boundaries. At one point, all-rounder Faheem Ashraf’s cameo (8-ball 28) seemed enough to help the Gladiators to a title.
But it fell short in front of a superhero effort from Raza, who, only a few hours before the final, was on a flight.
"Bowled 25 overs the day before yesterday, batted for 20-odd overs yesterday, had dinner in Birmingham, breakfast in Dubai, drove to Abu Dhabi for lunch, took a flight and had dinner in Pakistan,” Raza said after the clash.
It is the second trophy for Raza this year, after leading Dubai Capitals to their first-ever trophy in International League T20 (ILT20).