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Pakistan Super League 2023

Watch: Sikandar Raza short-arm jabs six in stunning 71* to drive unbelievable Lahore Qalandars comeback

by Wisden Staff 3 minute read

Sikandar Raza put on a stunning display with the bat and in the field to haul Lahore Qalandars from 50-7 to victory by 17 runs over Quetta Gladiators in the PSL.

The game looked gone at the halfway stage of the first innings, with Lahore Qalandars having lost seven batters, and captain Shaheen Shah Afridi, promoted to No.6, the top-scorer with 16.

However, Raza, pushed down to No.7, staged a remarkable comeback, smashing an unbeaten 71 off 34 balls to take his side to 148, not a huge total, but a defendable one.

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He received stellar support from Rashid Khan, who demonstrated his inventive strokeplay in a 20-ball 21, and the tail hung around long enough to allow the Zimbabwean to push the score upwards. The best stroke came in the final over, a short-arm jab straight down the ground for six.

In reply, Quetta Gladiators raced to 52-0 in five overs, but a spectacular effort from Raza ignited their performance again. Stationed at deep mid-wicket, he leapt high to haul in a big shot from Will Smeed, flinging it back into the field of play and saving four runs.

The impact on the team was even greater. Next over, Haris Rauf nicked off Yasir Khan, and the fight back had begun. No more boundaries came between the end of the fifth and the end of the 11th over, by which time Quetta Gladiators were 64-4 and needing nearly 10 an over. There was to be no recovery, and Quetta Gladiators ended up on 131-7.

Watch the Sikandar Raza six and boundary save below:

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