The eighth season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) will get underway on February 13, and the tone for the upcoming tournament was perfectly set by Pakistan’s star all-rounder, Iftikhar Ahmed, in the exhibition m🦩atch organised ahead of the main event.
Quetta Gladiators faced Peshawar Zalmi in an exhibition match at the Bugti Stadium in Quetta on Sunday (February 5). After bꦓeing askಌed to bat first, Gladiators posted 184/5 in 20 overs courtesy of Iftikhar’s unbeaten 94 runs off 50 deliveries.
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB)
Riaz, also Punjab’s caretaker sports minister, was seen having a fun conversation with Iftikhar after the match’s conclusion. Sharing the video of their chat on his Twitter handle, Iftikhar wrote: “#SpiritofCricket – @WahabViki Bhai you are love and a legend. Cricket is a funny game & jis pe jis din Allah mehrebaan hota hai, wahee uska din hota hai.”
– Bhaiꦜ you are love and a legend. Cricket is a funny game & jis pe jis din Allah mehrebaan hota hai, wahee uska din hota hai. 🫶🏼— Iftikhar Ahmad (@IftiMania)
Shadab Khan also reacted to Iftikhar’s rare feat and posted a tweet lauding the fo🎀rmer.
ka bhi lehaz nahi kiya 🤷. Minister sb ko easy na lein, he will bounce back too. Great to see the love and support shown by the people of Quetta. They deserve the best.— Shadab Khan (@76Shadabkhan)
Notably, Gladiators will be led by Pakistan’s former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, while newly recruited Babar Azam, who earlier was the skipper of Karachi Kings, will captain the Pes𓆉hawar-based team in the 2023 ไedition of the PSL.
Apart from Iftikhar’s sensational batting, a terror attack on 15 minutes distance from the exhibition match venue also shook the crowd resulting in the halting of the game for some time. Players like Babar and Shahid Afridi were safely moved to the dressing room for security reasons. However, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) 🔯later resumed the play after getting a green signal from security officials.
