Skip to main content

Blunders of Lahore Qalandars


Umar Akmal is one of Lahore's under-performing stars — PSL
Umar Akmal is one of Lahore's under-performing stars — PSL
For all the goodwill they may have accumulated for their off-the-field activities, Lahore Qalandars are yet to make their mark on the field.
They have one of the worst win percentages of all the T20 franchises in the world. In fact, they occupy the unenviable second spot on that list.
The Qalandars had set the bar so low the last two years that, in theory at least, the only way for them was up. Almost anything could've been an improvement. All they had to do was do enough to not be the league's worst side for the third straight year.
Yet the 2018 Qalandars are comfortably the poorest side in the ongoing tourney. They're much worse than their own previous two incarnations.
Whatever might be the case with the 2016 and 2017 Qalandars, there is certainly a discernible reason to their class of 2018 being in such a bothersome spot.
A mere look at their dot-ball percentage indicates that most of their batsmen feel comfortable going for a boundary every ball rather than rotating the strike — a collective trait that makes them more vulnerable to batting collapses than others.
That their team is at the bottom of the PSL points table for the third season running should not come as a surprise for the Qalandars fans.
The real surprise should be that very few saw this coming. But then having names such as Brendon McCullum, Sunil Narine, Umar Akmal, Fakhar Zaman, and Sohail Akhtar in your top five can cause that effect.
The quintet created an optical illusion that nothing could go wrong for the Lahore franchise. Except nothing actually has gone right for them. Their scattergun approach to all batting situations has backfired big time.
The Qalandars do have the bowling options that can win matches on their own. In the form of Mustafizur Rahman, Shaheen Afridi, Aamer Yamin, Yasir Shah and Sunil Narine, they had two left-arm quicks, a right-handed medium pacer, a leg-spinner and an off-spinner — a well-balanced unit with no real weaknesses.
However, to defend the targets the Qalandar batting unit has been setting, one perhaps needs an assortment of all-time greats and lots of luck.
With that said, it's not like the Qalandars aren't fixable. On several occasions in PSL 2018 they've had the upper hand over their opposition only to inexplicably throw it away.
All they need is a bit of patience and calmness to go from finishing last to, well, finishing last with dignity.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Karachi – the city where your ‘mochi’ can also mend your soul

The 42-year-old Khan took over his father’s mochi business after the latter retired four years ago. PHOTO: SARAH FAZLI Karachi is home to the most diverse of populations across Pakistan. Muslims, non-Muslims, Shia, Sunni, Muhajir, Balochi, Sindhi, Pashtun, Kashmiri, and also many other minority groups; many a people have found home here. Some of them love Karachi, others hate it. But Karachi has embraced them all – giving them the freedom to be themselves. Some folks weave dreams during the day. Some have adopted a nocturnal lifestyle and work during the night. Some read Jane Austen, while some unfalteringly quote  Faiz Ahmad Faiz . Some revere and find solace in its shrines. And yet, others destroy the very sanctity of those shrines. Some try to restore its glory, while others try to slaughter this goose to steal all its golden eggs. All of this happens at once, and this diversity is what makes Karachi both beautiful and painful. Vibrant and colourful, yet...
Post a Comment
Read more

Notification issued for composition of new administrative divisions in Mohmand, Khyber

Over a month after landmark legislation was passed to merge the tribal districts with the settled areas, the provincial government on Thursday officially notified the administrative divisions and districts in the merged areas. A notification issued by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Board of Revenue on Thursday changed the geographic composition of Peshawar division by adding two tribal districts including Mohmand and Khyber, previously part of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), along with the addition of the Frontier Region Peshawar. The Peshawar division now comprises five districts including Peshawar, Charsadda, Nowshera, Mohmand and Khyber. The notification further states that the administrative divisions have been altered in pursuant to 25th Amendment Act regarding the merger of the erstwhile Fata areas in the province and in the exercise of the powers conferred as per section 6, Chapter-II of Land Revenue Act 1967. NA passes ‘historic’ Fata, K-P merge...
Post a Comment
Read more

MS Dhoni – an era on his own

MS Dhoni of India hits out during the third Royal London One-Day International between England and India at Headingley on July 17, 2018 in Leeds, England. PHOTO: GETTY He came, he saw, he conquered. These words are the very least one can associate with Mahendra Singh Dhoni  for his performance thus far in international cricket. By placing the ball behind the square through to the third man boundary for a single, he recently achieved the milestone of making  10,000 ODI runs . On July 14, 2018 at Lord’s, the home of cricket, he became only the 12 th  batsman in the history of ODI cricket to achieve this rare feat. MS Dhoni plays a shot during the second ODI against England at Lords in London on July 14, 2018. Photo: Reuters As a fan, there are several memories I associate with the accomplishments of this gentleman. From his early days as a boy from a small town, the passage he passed through and the circumstances he overcame to get to this point, it all ...
Post a Comment
Read more