PSL 2023: Sarafaz Ahmed reacts to Muhammad Nawaz's captaincy in PZ vs QG clash
Nawaz stepped into the captain's shoes after Sarfaraz was ruled out of the match following an injury
March 09, 2023
Quetta Gladiators' regular captain Sarfaraz Ahmed called Muhammad Nawaz a "history-maker captain" after he led the side in the match against Peshawar Zalmi in the 25th match of the ongoing season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
Nawaz stepped into the captain's shoes after Sarfaraz was ruled out of the Wednesday match following an injury on his finger in the Gladiators' previous outing.
The Gladiators managed to pull off a magnificent victory after they chased down record 241 runs. Following this victory, Sarfaraz took to Twitter to praise his players, especially Nawaz who captained the side for the first time in eight years.
"Witness a fantastic T20 game. Master class Babar Azam. Stylish Saim Ayub. Elegant Hafeez Bhai. unbelievable commanding and powerful batting by Jason Roy. History maker captain Nawaz. Well done team Quetta," he wrote.
For the first time in eight years, Sarfaraz missed a PSL game yesterday. The wicket-keeper batter got his finger injured while performing his duty behind the stumps. Naseem Shah's speedy delivery hit his finger which managed to escape fracture but ruled him from a game.
According to his franchise, there was no fracture in Sarfaraz's finger but he had to take rest due to swelling. In his absence, Nawaz was given the captaincy and Gladiators were lucky enough to pull off a convincing chase against Zalmi.
Set to chase mammoth 241 runs, Gladiators lost Martin Guptill earlier but Jason Roy single-handedly led his team to a stunning victory.
Roy, who rejoined Gladiators after representing his country in ODIs against Bangladesh, smashed a century off just 44 balls, the second-fastest in the Pakistan Super League (PSL)'s history.
The right-handed batter smashed Zalmi bowlers all around the park to set up a perfect show after his team was set to chase mammoth 241 runs in 20 overs.
Roy just missed a chance to score the fastest PSL century. The record remained with Multan Sultans' Rilee Rossouw who scored the century off 43 balls against Quetta Gladiators in 2020.
However, he managed to set a record for the new highest individual score in the PSL. He remained unbeaten for 145 runs.
