It would be foolish to write off Lahore Qalandars: Akhtar

Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar has said Lahore Qalandars can still qualify for the playoffs of the ongoing Habib Bank Limited (HBL) Pakistan Super League (PSL).

While talking in a YouTube video, Akhtar said that it would be foolish to write off the Qalandars at this stage because rain could play a major role in who qualifies for the next phase of the tournament.

“The chances of rain in Pindi are high and incase matches of Quetta Gladiators and Peshawar Zalmi are washed out, Lahore Qalandars can still qualify for the playoffs which is why it would be foolish to write them off,” said Akhtar.

“But Lahore needs to stop losing and win atleast four of their last five games,” he added.

The 44-year-old also lashed out at the Qalandars after their poor show in Wednesday’s match against Islamabad United.

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Colin Munro’s unbeaten 87 helped Islamabad United beat Lahore Qalandars by 71 runs on Wednesday, which is the biggest victory margin, in terms of runs, in the history of HBL PSL. The previous biggest winning margin was 67 runs achieved by Quetta Gladiators against Karachi Kings in 2018.

“People walked out of the stadium as soon as Islamabad posted a total around 200 because they did not expect Qalandars to chase it down,” he said. “It was a pathetic performance by Lahore and for God’s sake they should start playing smart cricket or else they will finish at the sixth position once again.”

Qalandars will play their next match of the HBL PSL against Quetta Gladiators on March 7 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.