Lahore Qalandars have built their name in the PSL on the back of cult heroes, and last night Sikandar Raza joined the list with an astonishing cameo that helped the team win its third title in four years. But his participation in the game was in doubt, given that he was playing in England for Zimbabwe just 24 hours before the final started.
On Saturday evening, Zimbabwe lost to England, and while most of his teammates were reflecting on the tough defeat, Sikandar Raza was already plotting his return to Pakistan. Raza had been flying back and forth all week. Just a few days earlier, he had flown from England to Pakistan to help Lahore Qalandars reach the playoffs. Then he flew back to England to play Zimbabwe’s historic Test. Now, with the PSL final approaching, he was ready to make the trip again.
With no direct flights available, Raza had to take a complicated route. A friend drove him to Birmingham, where he caught an economy flight to Dubai (there were no business seats left). After waiting six hours there, he switched airports and took a flight from Abu Dhabi to Lahore.
He reportedly reached Gaddafi Stadium just 10 minutes before the team sheets were handed out. The timing was that close.
“I’m here to do a job,” Sikandar Raza said after the match. “And even if we had lost, I wanted to be here for my team.”
“Dinner in Birmingham, breakfast in Dubai, lunch in Abu Dhabi, and dinner in Pakistan,” he joked. “This is the life of a professional cricketer.”
But despite the travel and fatigue, Raza stepped up when his team needed him most. He got a big wicket—Rilee Rossouw—with just his second ball. But the real drama came with the bat. Lahore was chasing a big target. With 20 balls left, they still needed 57 runs.
Mohammad Amir had just taken a wicket, and the match looked all but lost. Sikandar Raza hit Amir’s short ball to the boundary, then smashed another for six. Suddenly, the pressure was back on the bowling side.
“I was so tired, I just told myself to watch the ball,” Raza said. “I didn’t think. I didn’t plan. I just reacted.”
With eight runs needed off the last three balls, Raza faced Faheem Ashraf. Faheem tried a perfect yorker, and Sikandar Raza smashed it over cover for six. The next ball was another miss, and Raza hit the winning runs through midwicket.
“This is what it’s all about,” Raza said. “We played three knockout games. No one was more prepared than us. If I had to pick one title, it would be this—because of the story behind it.”
From playing a Test in England to winning a PSL final in Lahore, all within 48 hours—Sikandar Raza’s journey was incredible. It was a story of hard work, sacrifice, and love for the game.
He didn’t need to say much. His performance said it all.