The eighth season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) will get underway on February 13, and the tone for the upcoming tournament was perfectly set by Pakistan’s star all-rounder, Iftikhar Ahmed, in the exhibition match organised ahead of the main event.
Quetta Gladiators faced Peshawar Zalmi in an exhibition match at the Bugti Stadium in Quetta on Sunday (February 5). After being asked to bat first, Gladiators posted 184/5 in 20 overs courtesy of Iftikhar’s unbeaten 94 runs off 50 deliveries.
During his knock, the 32-year-old right-handed batter smacked Zalmi’s Wahab Riaz for six sixes in an over, and with the help of his blazing inning, Gladiators defeated Zalmi by three runs in the contest.
In the 20th over of the first inning, Iftikhar smashed Riaz for six maximums all over the park and displayed a solid show of power hitting. While the 37 year Pakistan pacer was seen clueless, fans at the stadium seemed to enjoy Iftikhar’s batting.
Here’s the video:
6⃣ 6⃣ 6⃣ 6⃣ 6⃣ 6⃣
Iftikhar goes big in the final over of the innings!
Watch Live ️ https://t.co/xOrGZzkfvl pic.twitter.com/CDSMFoayoZ
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) February 5, 2023
Riaz, also Punjab’s caretaker sports minister, was seen having a fun conversation with Iftikhar after the match’s conclusion. Sharing the video of their chat on his Twitter handle, Iftikhar wrote: “#SpiritofCricket – @WahabViki Bhai you are love and a legend. Cricket is a funny game & jis pe jis din Allah mehrebaan hota hai, wahee uska din hota hai.”
#SpiritofCricket – @WahabViki Bhai you are love and a legend. Cricket is a funny game & jis pe jis din Allah mehrebaan hota hai, wahee uska din hota hai. 🫶 pic.twitter.com/HGXxkmCp2R
— Iftikhar Ahmad (@IftiAhmed221) February 5, 2023
Shadab Khan also reacted to Iftikhar’s rare feat and posted a tweet lauding the former.
Mere chotay bhai @IftiAhmed221 ne sports minister @WahabViki ka bhi lehaz nahi kiya 🤷. Minister sb ko easy na lein, he will bounce back too. Great to see the love and support shown by the people of Quetta. They deserve the best. pic.twitter.com/gwTsw4aPHT
— Shadab Khan (@76Shadabkhan) February 5, 2023
Notably, Gladiators will be led by Pakistan’s former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, while newly recruited Babar Azam, who earlier was the skipper of Karachi Kings, will captain the Peshawar-based team in the 2023 edition of the PSL.
Apart from Iftikhar’s sensational batting, a terror attack on 15 minutes distance from the exhibition match venue also shook the crowd resulting in the halting of the game for some time. Players like Babar and Shahid Afridi were safely moved to the dressing room for security reasons. However, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) later resumed the play after getting a green signal from security officials.
