LAHORE: Karachi Kings captain David Warner admitted his side made things harder than necessary in their four-wicket victory over Lahore Qalandars in Match 6 of the Pakistan Super League 2026, but praised his team’s resilience and bowling partnerships. Speaking after the match, Warner acknowledged the impact of Shaheen Shah Afridi’s spell: “We did it the hard way. Afridi’s four wickets were excellent for LQ. But we won – now we have 2 in 2. As a batter, you try to take it deep, but it ended up being 14 off the last over. Glad we did it in the end.”
Warner highlighted the growing strength of Karachi’s bowling unit, particularly the spinners: “It was in the last game as well, our spinners bowled well in tandem. Our bowling partnerships are really coming together.” On the challenge of playing on used pitches, Warner explained: “As batters you can take a few balls to get used to the conditions.”
Finally, he touched on the rivalry with Lahore: “Beating Lahore is becoming a trend, but we would rather beat them in the final. Still long way to go in the tournament.” Sikandar Raza rejects notion of difficult track
Lahore Qalandars senior all-rounder Sikandar Raza has rejected the notion that the track was too difficult to play, saying it was a 200-plus wicket. Address a press conference after Lahore Qalandars’ narrow defeat to Karachi Kings, Sikandar gave a deep insights into match strategy, the hotel controversy, and tactical decisions in the death overs.
Raza dismissed the idea that the surface was to blame for Lahore’s modest total: “I personally feel this wasn’t a 200+ wicket. When I was batting with Haseebullah, we were at 100 in the 13th over. Our plan was to go at a run rate of 8 for the remaining seven overs to reach 150+. If we had managed one big 12-13 run over, 155 would have been a very good total. The real reason we lost is that we played extremely poorly, not because of the wicket. We have enough experience and quality to read and adapt to these conditions.
At 100/4 after 13 overs, Lahore was in a good position to reach 160.” Raza clarified reports involving captain Shaheen Shah Afridi and the Anti-Corruption Unit: “I was right there. Shaheen didn’t ‘force’ anything. It was actually my request.
My family and friends were visiting, and unlike previous years, I wasn’t aware that the SOPs regarding meeting them had changed. If you are looking for someone to blame, it’s me, not Shaheen. He only helped because I asked. I’ve known these people since I was 19; they are like family. We even gave our IDs to the Anti-Corruption staff. Please don’t forget that I don’t get to see my relatives often during the year. Shaheen was just looking out for me. Also, if you want the details, I was just trying to pick out my new bats!” Raza defended Shaheen’s captaincy decisions after Haris Rauf conceded heavily in his spell: “That’s a bit of a funny question. If Shaheen had given the last over to the youngster (Ubaid) and we lost, you would be asking, ‘Why did you use a rookie when you have a world-class death specialist available?’ There is no guarantee that a good previous over leads to a good next one. Haris only gave away 4-5 runs in the 18th over.
He has won so many matches for Pakistan and has a reputation for a reason. I think some people just want to find a reason to be unhappy with Shaheen’s captaincy regardless of the decision.”
