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Zimbabwe's Raza arrives in the nick of time to lead Lahore to PSL title

Zimbabwe's Raza arrives in the nick of time to lead Lahore to PSL title

Reuters26-05-2025
May 26 (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's test defeat by England inside three days at Trent Bridge proved good fortune for Pakistan Super League side Lahore Qalandars after all-rounder Sikandar Raza arrived just in time to help them clinch their third title in four years on Sunday.
Just 24 hours after Zimbabwe fell to an innings defeat in England, Raza arrived at Gaddafi Stadium 10 minutes before the toss and hit the winning runs as Lahore chased down the 202 they needed for a six-wicket win over Quetta Gladiators.
"Bowled 25 overs the day before yesterday, batted for 20-odd overs yesterday, I had dinner in Birmingham, breakfast in Dubai, and drove to Abu Dhabi for lunch," Raza said.
"Took a flight and had a dinner in Pakistan. This is the life of a professional cricketer. I'm truly humbled and blessed to have the life."
The 39-year-old, who had scored a half-century against England on Saturday, joined Kusal Perera in an unbeaten 59-run partnership in the last 20 balls to complete the highest successful chase in a PSL final.
With Lahore needing eight off the final three balls, Raza smacked a six before sealing victory with a four to guide his team to victory with one ball to spare.
He also picked up the wicket of Rilee Rossouw in Quetta's innings of 201.
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