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Highlights of the HBL PSL 6 Karachi-leg – statistical review

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LAHORE, May 23 (APP): The HBL Pakistan Super League 6 Karachi-leg produced some thrilling cricket which kept the teams, followers and fans on the edge of their seats throughout the 14 matches.

The teams batting second won the first 13 matches while 2019 champions, Quetta Gladiators turned the tables on Multan Sultans in the last match to be played at the National Stadium with a 22-run win on 3 March, becoming the first team to successfully defend a target in the season.

The sixth edition has so far proved to be as competitive as others with four of the six sides tied at six points each heading to the Abu Dhabi-leg which will be played next month at the Sheikh Zayed
Stadium.

Points table:
Defending champions Karachi Kings topped the points table with six points from five matches (three wins, two defeats). Interestingly, all top four sides, Kings, Peshawar Zalmi, Islamabad United and Lahore Qalandars accumulated six points in the Karachi-leg, with Kings taking the top-spot due to their better net run-rate.

The 2017 champions Peshawar Zalmi occupy the second-spot with as many points, wins and defeats as the Kings but an inferior net run-rate of 0.273 compared to Kings’ 0.697.

Islamabad United, the 2016 and 2018 champions, occupy the third-spot. They recorded three wins in four matches they played in Karachi, their net run-rate is 0.202.

Lahore Qalandars, the HBL PSL 2020 finalists, are in the fourth-spot with three wins and a defeat from their four matches with a net run-rate of 0.085 and six points.

Multan Sultans are languishing in the fifth-spot with two points from five matches (one win, four defeats) and a net run-rate of -0.244 while the 2019 champions Quetta Gladiators are bottom-placed with a win and four defeats in five matches and a net run-rate of -0.936.

To be read as team, matches played , won , lost , points and net run rate
Karachi Kings53260.697
Peshawar Zalmi53260.273
Islamabad United43160.202
Lahore Qalandars43160.085
Multan Sultans5142-0.244
Quetta Gladiators5142-0.936

Most runs:
Three batters accumulated 200 runs or more in the Karachi-leg with Sultans’ skipper Mohammad Rizwan leading the run-getters table. The wicketkeeper-batsman who has enjoyed a phenomenal run in T20 and T20Is in the recent past scored 297 runs at 59.40 at an impressive strike-rate of 140.09 in his five matches for the Sultans.

Rizwan hit three half-centuries in the Karachi-leg. Pakistan T20I captain and Kings batting mainstay Babar Azam scored 258 runs at 86. The right-hander maintained a strike-rate of 138.70 while registering three half-centuries for his side in their five games.

Babar’s opening partner Sharjeel Khan scored the only century of the Karachi-leg, the left-hander’s 200 runs in five innings were scored at a strike-rate of 170.94, he averaged 40 per innings with the help of a century and one half-century.

The Babar-Sharjeel duo recorded the highest partnership of the Karachi-leg, adding 176 runs against United.

Most wickets:
Zalmi’s fast bowler Saqib Mehmood was the highest wicket-taker of the Karachi-leg, the right-armer took 12 wickets in five matches at 12.08 and an impressive economy rate of 7.98, his best figures were three wickets for 12 runs.

Qalandars’ left-armer Shaheen Shah Afridi also carried on his impressive T20 bowling form by snaring nine wickets in four games at 12.55. Shaheen conceded a mere 7.06 runs per over, his best figures were three wickets for 14 runs.

Sultans’ pacer Shahnawaz Dhani caught the attention of the followers and fans of the league by collecting nine wickets in four games in his debut HBL PSL season. Sultans would be banking on Shahnawaz in the Abu Dhabi-leg for a revival of their fledgling fortunes.

Shahnawaz was a touch expensive with a 10.33 economy rate in the Karachi-leg but kept taking wickets at regular intervals at 17.22. His best figures were three wickets for 44 runs.

Meanwhile, Zalmi skipper Wahab Riaz recorded the only four-wicket haul of the Karachi-leg, the left-armer took four wickets for 17 runs against United to spearhead his side’s convincing six-wicket victory.

Fielding and wicketkeeping:
Zalmi’s Tom-Kohler-Cadmore topped the fielders’ charts with five catches in four matches, teammate Shoaib Malik took four catches in the Karachi-leg. Quetta Gladiators’ Faf du Plessis, Ben Cutting and Babar all took three catches each.

Kings’ wicketkeeper Joe Clarke took five catches in the Karachi-leg, Qalandars’ Ben Dunk and Rizwan snared four catches each.

Boundaries and wickets count:
In the Karachi-leg, a total of 446 fours and 176 sixes were hit while 159 wickets fell.

Highest team score:
Zalmi chased down a 199-run target on their way to a 202 for seven total (19.3) overs in an epic clash with the Gladiators (198 for seven) which lived up to the Gladiators-Zalmi rivalry expectations.

Kings chased down 196-run target against Sultans (195 for six) on their way to 198 for three in
18.5 overs in another exciting clash which kept the fans glued to the action.

Lowest team score:
United’s 118 all out in 17.1 overs was the lowest team score in the 14-match Karachi-leg against Zalmi. Gladiators were folded for 121 in 18.2 overs in their match against the Kings.

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Jahangir Khan – The King of Squash

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Jahangir Khan is a man whose name is synonymous with squash. A man universally recognised as the world’s greatest ever player and an athlete who transcended his sports to be acknowledged as world’s greatest ever sportsman. A man who set the bar so high, precious few others have come close, never mind surpass his achievements.

Youngest World Amateur Champion (aged 15) Youngest British Open & World Champion (aged 17) Unbeaten in 555 consecutive matches over 5 years and 8 months – the longest winning streak of any sportsman 10 time British Open Champion (1982-1993) 6 time World Champion Played the longest squash match in history (2 hours, 46 minutes)

Through courage, determination and personal sacrifice, Jahangir Khan overcame personal tragedy to dominate and ultimately transcend the world’s most physically demanding sport.Throughout his record breaking career, Jahangir Khan used and was synonymous with only one brand.

Jahangir Khan was born in Karachi, Pakistan on the 10th December 1963 amd is considered to be the greatest player in the history of squash.

Jahangir Khan is originally from Neway Kelay Payan, Peshawar. During his career he was ranked World No.1 and won the World Open six times and the British Open a record ten times.

From 1981 to 1986, Jahangir was unbeaten and during that time won 555 consecutive matches – the longest winning streak by any athlete in top-level professional sport as recorded by Guinness World Records.

Jahangir retired from the Men’s Professional World Squash Tour 1993 and served as President of the World Squash Federation (WSF) from 2002 to 2008 when he became Emeritus President.

Jahangir was coached initially by his father Roshan and then by his late brother Torsam and cousin Rahmat who would go on to coach Jahangir throughout his record breaking career.

As a child Jahangir was physically very weak and despite doctors advising him not to take part in any sort of physical activity his father encouraged him to play their family game following a couple of hernia operations.

After missing out on selection for the Pakistan team for the 1979 World Championships in Australia, Jahangir entered the World Amateur Individual Championship and at 15 years-of-age became the youngest ever winner of the prestigious championship.

In November 1979, Jahangir’s older brother Torsam died suddenly of a heart attack during a tournament match in Australia. Torsam’s death affected Jahangir greatly and led to him considering quitting the game. However, Jahangir was determined to pursue a career in the sport as a tribute to his brother.

Most Notable Achievements:
Won World Amateur Championships at age 15
Youngest ever World Open Champion (aged 17)
Unbeaten in 555 consecutive matches over 5 years and 8 months
Record 10 time British Open Champion (1982-1991)
Six-time World Open Champion
First player to win World Open Championship without dropping a game
Played the longest match in the squash history 2 hours and 46 minutes
Five-year unbeaten run

In 1981, Jahangir became the youngest winner of the World Open at the age of 17 when he beat the then World No.1 Geoff Hunt Australia in the final. That championship marked the start of an unbeaten run which lasted for five years and 555 matches.

Jahangir was distinguished for his incredible fitness and stamina which Rahmat Khan helped him develop through a punishing training and conditioning regime. Jahangir was widely regarded as the fittest player in the sport.

In 1982, Jahangir astounded everyone when he won the International Squash Players Association (ISPA) Championship without losing a single point.

Jahangir’s unbeaten run finally came to end in the final of the 1986 World Open in France when he lost to Ross Norman of New Zealand. Norman had been chasing Jahangir’s unbeaten streak after being beaten time and time again. Norman was famously quoted “One day Jahangir will be slightly off his game and I will get him”.

Speaking about his unbeaten sequence of 555 consecutive matches, Jahangir said: “It wasn’t my plan to create such a record. All I did was put in the effort to win every match I played and it went on for weeks, months and years until my defeat to Ross Norman in Toulouse in 1986.”

“The pressure began to mount as I kept winning every time and people were anxious to see if I could be beaten. In that World Open final, Ross got me. It was exactly five years and eight months. I was unbeaten for another nine months after that defeat.”

At the end of 1986, compatriot Jansher Khan challenged Jahangir’s domination. Jahangir won their first few encounters in late 1986 and early 1987, but Jansher finally scored his first win over Jahangir in September 1987 with a straight games victory in the semi-finals of the Hong Kong Open.

Jansher then went on to beat Jahangir in their next eight consecutive encounters, including capturing the 1987 World Open title.

Jahangir managed to end Jansher’s winning streak over him in March 1988 and went on to win 11 of their next 15 meetings. The pair met in the 1988 World Open final with Jahangir emerging the victor. By that point it had become clear that squash now had two dominant players and the pair would continue to dominate the sport for the rest of the decade.

Jansher and Jahangir met a total of 37 times in professional competition with Jansher winning 19 matches, and Jahangir taking 18 matches.

Jahangir did not win the World Open after 1988 but was able to maintain a stranglehold over the prestigious British Open title which he won a record ten successive times between 1982 and 1991.

Jahangir retired from the professional World Tour in 1993 after helping Pakistan win the World Team Championship in Karachi. He was honoured by the Government of Pakistan with the awards of Pride of Performance and civil award of Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Crescent of Distinction) for his achievements in squash. Jahangir was also named Sportsman of the Millennium in Pakistan.

“Hashim Khan, Jahangir Khan, and Jansher Khan are the best squash players the world has ever known with Jahangir the best of the three. If Hollywood only knew his story of tragedy, grit and determination it would make another movie like Chariots of Fire. Many of those who know him consider him the best athlete who ever lived.”Former President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf

In 1990, Jahangir was elected Chairman of the Professional Squash Association (PSA) and in 1997 Vice-President of the Pakistan Squash Federation. Jahangir was elected as Vice-President of the World Squash Federation (WSF) in November 1998 and in October 2002 was elected WSF President. In 2004, Jahangir was again unanimously re-elected as President of the WSF at the International Federation’s 33rd Annual General Meeting in Casa Noyale, Mauritius.

Jahangir Khan was presented with an honorary Doctorate of Philosophy by London Metropolitan University for his contributions to the sport. As a result of his complete dominance in squash he was nicknamed “The Conqueror”

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Roshan Khan – A Squash Icon of Pakistan.(26 November 1929 – 6 January 2006)

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Roshan Khan, a name etched in the annals of squash history, remains an iconic figure renowned for his exceptional skill, sportsmanship, and pivotal contributions to the world of sports. Born on November 26, 1929, in Peshawar, Pakistan, Roshan Khan’s journey from a squash prodigy to a global legend is a testament to his unparalleled talent and dedication

.

Khan’s squash career unfolded in an era when the sport was flourishing in Pakistan, and he emerged as a dominant force, setting new standards of excellence. His innate talent, combined with unwavering determination, propelled him to the forefront of the squash world, where he became a trailblazer.

His remarkable achievements and distinctive style of play made him a formidable opponent on the court. Khan’s tactical prowess, agility, and swift movements were renowned. He possessed an uncanny ability to outmaneuver opponents, displaying finesse and precision that mesmerized audiences and competitors alike.

Khan’s impact extended beyond individual victories; he was an integral part of the Pakistani squash dynasty that dominated the sport globally. Alongside his cousins, Azam Khan and Mo Khan, Roshan Khan propelled Pakistan to squash supremacy, securing multiple championship titles and accolades.

The pinnacle of Khan’s illustrious career came in the 1950s and 1960s, where he triumphed in prestigious tournaments, including the British Open. His victories not only solidified his legacy but also elevated Pakistan’s standing in the world of squash.

Beyond his prowess on the court, Khan was revered for his sportsmanship and humility. His demeanor both on and off the court earned him respect and admiration worldwide. He became a role model for aspiring squash players, inspiring a generation with his dedication, discipline, and grace.

Even after retiring from professional play, Roshan Khan continued to contribute to the sport, nurturing young talent and advocating for squash development in Pakistan. His commitment to the game remained unwavering until his passing on January 6, 2006, leaving behind a legacy that continues to inspire squash enthusiasts globally.

Roshan Khan’s name remains synonymous with excellence, his contributions to squash immortalized in the history of the sport. He stands as a testament to the heights that dedication, talent, and passion can reach, leaving an indelible mark on the world of sports and serving as an enduring source of inspiration for generations to come.

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ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup: Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by six wickets

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In the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by six wickets at Hyderabad in India on Tuesday.

Batting first, Sri Lanka scored 344 runs for the loss of nine wickets in allotted fifty overs.

For Sri Lanka, Kusal Mendis with 122 runs and Sadeera Samarawickrama with 108 remained the main scorers.

In reply, Pakistan achieved the target in 48.2 overs for the loss of four wickets.

For Pakistan, Abdullah Shafique scored 113 and Muhammad Rizwan made 131 runs.

Muhammad Rizwan was declared player of the match. 

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