Abu Dahbi
Karachi Kings’ Babar Azam and Multan Sultans’ Shahnawaz Dahani topped the batting and bowling honours, respectively, at the end of the league stage of Pakistan Super League 2021.
The league stage of PSL6 ended on Saturday with four teams – Islamabad United, Multan Sultans, Peshawar Zalmi and Karachi Kings – confirming their berths to the playoffs.
Babar Azam of Karachi Kings’ was marvellous among the batsman scoring 501 at an average of 71.57 with the help of 6 half-centuries.
The Pakistan national team’s captain was followed by Multan Sultan’s captain and wicket-keeper batsman Mohammad Rizwan on the batting chart with 470 runs at an average of 52.22.
Former champions Quetta Gladiators may have failed to qualify for the play-offs but the Gladiators’ captain Sarfaraz Ahmed was among the top run-scorer of the tournament on the league stage. Sarfaraz scored 321 runs at an average of 45.85 and got himself at 3rd place on the chart.
Sarfaraz is followed by Karachi Kings Sharjeel Khan (312 runs) and Multan Sultans’ Sohaib Maqsood (304 runs) at the end of league stages.
With Multan and Karachi both entering play-offs, the race to be on top of the list will continue to inform batsmen Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan.
Sharjeel and Sohaib will also eye to surpass Sarfaraz Ahmed on the points table during the next stage of the tournament.
Among the top bowlers at the end of the league stage, Multan Sultans’ Shahnawaz Dahani is far ahead of the rest in competition.
The 22-year-old bowler from Larkana has taken 20 wickets in 9 matches at an average of 13.65 to keep the Fazal Mahmood cap with him.
Lahore Qalandars’ Shaheen Shah Afridi is at 2nd place now with 16 wickets against his name on the top bowlers’ chart of the PSL.
Afridi is out of contention now for taking Fazal Mehmood cap of top wicket-taker as his side was eliminated on basis of a poor NRR, despite levelling on the points table with Karachi Kings, Peshawar Zalmi and Multan Sultans – all with 10 points.
The next in contention, at 3rd place, is Peshawar Zalmi’s Wahab Riaz who has taken 14 wickets in the tournament so far with an average of 21.85
James Faulkner, who joined Lahore Qalandars for the Abu Dhabi leg of the tournament, got 13 wickets in 6 matches he played at Sheikh Zayed Stadium and is currently at 4th place on the top bowlers’ list at the end of the league stage of PSL.
Islamabad United’s Hasan Ali and Peshawar Zalmi’s Hasan Ali have 12 wickets apiece. With Saqib already out of the league’s remainders, Hasan remains in the race to become the leading wicket-taker of the tournament.—Agencies
