‘We were unlucky,’ says Shaheen after Qalandars’ defeat against Zalmi

LAHORE: Home side Lahore Qalandars’ captain Shaheen Shah Afridi opened up after their seven-wicket defeat at the hands of Peshawar Zalmi in the 14th match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 10 here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Thursday.

Put into bat first, the hosts were bundled out for a meagre 129 in 19.2 overs despite a valiant half-century by their experienced all-rounder Sikandar Raza.

The home side got off to a poor start to their innings as their experienced opener Fakhar Zaman (10) was cleaned up by Alzarri Joseph in the second over while playing a rash shot.

They lost two more wickets in the next over, including that of their makeshift opener Asif Ali, who could score five from six deliveries.

Addressing Qalandars’ tactical decision to promote Ali, Shaheen shared that the move was aimed at challenging the perception that the 33-year-old is only suited for the lower order.

"Yes, we opted for Asif to open. He has a lot of experience opening in domestic cricket, so it wasn’t a big change for him,” said Shaheen.

“Our goal is to challenge the perception that he’s only suited for a lower order role—hopefully, we can broaden that view,” he added.

Reflecting on the defeat, the left-arm pacer, who returned economical bowling figures of 2/22 in his four overs, asserted that the Qalandars were ‘unlucky’ as things did not go their way despite their players’ efforts.

“We were a bit unlucky tonight. The guys put in the effort, but sometimes things just don’t go your way in cricket,” Shaheen stated.

“170-160 would have been a competitive total to defend on this surface, but it wasn't to be."