After helping Lahore Qalandars win the PSL 10 final on Sunday, all-rounder Sikandar Raza discussed the journey and winning emotions in an interview. Raza arrived in Pakistan just ahead of the final, made 22 runs in just seven balls, and helped Lahore Qalandars chase down the challenging Quetta Gladiators total in the last over. Kusal Perera, who reached 62 not out from 31 balls, joined Raza and helped secure Lahore their third PSL championship by taking six wickets and clinching the win from the second ball in the 19th over—a Traveler Between Continents. At the post-match party, Raza told reporters about his busy journey from one country to another, traveling in less than 24 hours to make it to the final. He said: “After dinner in Birmingham, I woke up in Dubai for breakfast, had a meal in Abu Dhabi, and then flew straight to Lahore for the end of the PSL.
I consider myself fortunate to live as a professional cricketer. Raza had been playing for Zimbabwe against England in the Test at Trent Bridge, batting 60 runs off 68 deliveries to prevent an innings loss by his team. No matter the result, he had no pause—he boarded a flight soon after to Pakistan to be with his PSL team. I bowled for 25 overs on the day just before yesterday. Yesterday, we batted for quite a while, and it was very exhausting, Raza said. I was striving to take the Feelings from the Song. Despite Raza’s tiredness, he kept his composure in the last stages of the PSL title clash. I wanted to remove all the emotions from the piece. I have come to do the work I was assigned. If we had lost, I knew I was still with my brothers,” he said, pointing out that he would rely on them and stay calm while batting.
Looking back at how it all happened and the journey involved, Raza said, “My story of getting here is unbelievable.” After winning like this, I feel words aren’t enough to say. Going through it made things easier. I didn’t have any ideas going into the scene and did everything in reaction to what was happening. A Final We’ll Never Forget. He mentioned that Lahore Qalandars are seasoned in tough matches because of their unforgettable win in the PSL final two years ago. Two years ago, we played Multan Sultans in a final that went down to the final ball. He said that our team is better set than anyone else because we had to play so many critical matches this season.
There wasn’t a lack of excitement or drama in this year’s final match either. Many challenges came, including fitness-related issues and having different team members step in at the last minute. We both had injuries; Naeem wasn’t able to fight. This game was filled with a lot of excitement. Raza concluded by saying that this final, after so many years, meant far more to him than the one two years earlier. Raza only showed up 10 minutes before the toss was done. They had prepared the team list both ways, with Raza opening the bowling and with Shakib Al Hasan if Raza was late. But he did and played a key part in one of the most talked-about PSL finals ever.
