PSL 2021: Sarfaraz Ahmed and Shaheen Shah Afridi engage in an altercation in QUE vs LAH match

Sarfaraz Ahmed, the former Pakistan skipper, and fast bowler Shaheen Shah got involved in a heated exchange of words during Tuesday’s PSL 2021 match between Lahore Qalandars and Quetta Gladiators at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

In the last ball of the 19th over in the Gladiators’ innings, the incident panned out between the duo. Afridi churned out a bouncer and Sarfaraz, the Quetta skipper, missed the ball and was pinned on the helmet. But the latter had the presence of mind to take a leg-bye.

Thereafter, Ahmed and Afridi charged towards each other with verbal volleys. It was Qalandars’ Mohammad Hafeez, who intervened and brought sanity in the proceedings. In the meantime, it was a no-ball from Afridi, though he gave away only one run off the free hit.

Here’s the video:

Incase you missed it. pic.twitter.com/UTtpvrgTd3

— pasha (@zorawarrr) June 15, 2021

I’m really proud of the comeback from the boys: Sarfaraz Ahmed

On June 15, the Gladiators beat the Qalandars by 18 runs to stay alive in the tournament, albeit they stayed at the bottom of the points table. Sarfaraz was delighted with the bowlers’ performance.

“The pitch played a bit differently today, our bowlers bowled really well to the right-handers and this match and the win were really important for us. I’m really proud of the comeback from the boys and the fielding was good which also helped us a lot in building the pressure,” Sarfaraz was quoted as saying.

The Qalandars, on the other hand, slumped in yet another run-chase. Sohail Akhtar, their skipper, reckoned that the batters need to take more responsibility.

“On such surfaces, we have to take responsibility and bat. We have specific plans for everyone. We will try to work on the mistakes. Everyone has to take responsibility, especially the batsmen, otherwise, this will be the result. There was a bit of spin but the ball was coming on nicely. Yes, momentum is key,” Akhtar said.

Usman Shinwari, the Player of the Match, also sounded satisfied with how he bowled in the match. “I wanted to prove when I get a chance and glad it came off today. The plan was to keep it tight and the wickets would come,” he said.