Sikandar Raza ne 25 May 2025 ko Lahore Qalandars ke liye PSL final mein jo kirdaar nibhaaya, woh sach mein kamaal ka tha. Bas kuch ghante pehle hi woh England ke Trent Bridge mein Zimbabwe ke liye Test match khel rahe the, jahan unki team innings aur 45 runs se haar gayi thi. Match ek din pehle khatam ho gaya, toh Raza ke paas sirf thoda time tha Pakistan aane ka.
Test match khatam hote hi Raza ne UK se flight li aur Lahore shaam 6 baje ke aas-paas pahunche – toss se sirf 10 minute pehle! Qalandars ki management ne pehle se hi do team sheets ready rakhi thi – ek Raza ke saath aur doosri Shakib Al Hasan ke saath, taake agar Raza time pe na pahunchein toh team mein dikkat na ho. Khushi ki baat yeh thi ki Raza time pe aa gaye, aur toss ke waqt jab Shaheen Afridi ne unka naam announce kiya, toh poora stadium taaliyon se goonj utha.
Final ka mahaul aur Raza ka jalwa:
Quetta Gladiators ne toss jeet ke batting li, aur Lahore fielding karne utari. Raza, jinhone na sahi se aaram kiya tha na practice, apne pehle hi over mein kamaal kar gaye. Sirf doosri ball par unhone Rilee Rossouw ka wicket le liya, aur Shaheen Afridi ne ek zabardast catch liya.
Yeh performance Raza ke liye naya nahi tha – poore PSL season mein unhone 228 runs banaye the 163 ke strike rate se, aur 8 wickets liye the 7.10 ke economy rate se – sirf 9 matches mein.
Qalandars ke liye masterstroke:
Qalandars ko playoffs mein player availability ka problem chal raha tha – Daryl Mitchell, Sam Billings aur David Wiese ja chuke the. Team ne replacements liye jaise Shakib, Kusal Perera aur Mehidy Hasan Miraz. Lekin Raza ka wapas aana team ke liye jackpot jaisa tha. Unki batting aur bowling dono kaam ki thi, aur Shaheen, Haris Rauf aur Fakhar Zaman ke saath team perfect balance mein aa gayi.
Raza ka junoon aur cricket ke liye commitment:
Raza ne pehle hi PSL se break liya tha Zimbabwe ke liye Test match khelne ke liye, aur social media par clear kiya tha ki “national duty sabse pehle.” Phir final ke liye unka wapas aana – bina thake, bina rest – yeh dikhata hai ki banda kitna passionate hai apne game ke liye.
Unki team bhi puri support mein thi – airport se stadium tak race lagayi gayi, team sheets ready rakhi gayi, sab kuch taaki Raza final khelen. Team director Sameen Rana ne pehle bhi bola tha ki Raza team ke liye “invaluable” hain. Aur fans ne bhi X (Twitter) par unki taareefon ki baarish kar di.
Match ka setup:
Lahore Qalandars ne Islamabad United ko second qualifier mein 95 runs se hara kar final mein entry mari thi. Kusal Perera ne dhamakedaar fifty maari thi, aur bowling bhi top class thi. Quetta Gladiators 6 saal baad final khel rahe the, toh match kaafi exciting tha. Raza ka early wicket ne Lahore ko ek solid shuruaat de di.
Fans aur media ka hungama:
Jab Raza ka naam toss pe announce hua, toh poora crowd pagal ho gaya. Ek fan ne likha, “Banda Pakistan land kiya sirf ek ghanta pehle, aur second ball pe wicket le liya. Kya commitment hai yaar!”
Media houses jaise ESPNcricinfo aur Live Mint ne bhi Raza ke safar ko “crazy dedication” bola aur Qalandars ki planning ko appreciate kiya.
Akhri baat:
Sikandar Raza ka England se Lahore ka safar aur PSL 2025 final mein unka impact, cricket ki duniya mein ek yaadgar kahaani ban chuka hai. Ek taraf Test match, doosri taraf T20 final – dono din ke andar – aur phir bhi performance top notch!
Yeh sirf cricket nahi, yeh junoon hai. Raza ne dikhaya ki jab iraade pakke ho, toh thakan, safar, time zone – kuch bhi rukawat nahi banta. Fans yeh din kabhi nahi bhoolenge – ek asli all-rounder ki asli kahaani.
