Lahore Qalandars have the most incredible story in the seven-year history of the Pakistan Super League.
You would imagine that playing in a competition of just five teams, and later six, would mean that failing consistently would not be a possibility. But Qalandars found themselves in just that position, finishing dead last in the first four editions of the T20 league.
They tried a number of captains, including three in the 2019 season, but nothing seemed to work. Then, the rise of one player coincided with a change in fortunes.
Left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Afridi – one of the big success stories of Qalandars' abundance of pace-bowling talent – made his debut for the franchise in 2018 having just made his domestic debut the previous year, and quickly became the country's premier cricketer.
In 2020, Lahore threw the form book out of the window to storm into the final, where they lost to Karachi Kings. They did not have to wait for long for the ultimate success as Afridi, now captain, took them all the way to the title last year as they beat Multan Sultans in the final.
Even before winning the PSL title, Lahore had gained a reputation of providing Pakistan world-class pace bowling talent. Haris Rauf is the product of their talent hunt, while young fast bowler Zaman Khan helped them win the title by bowling a match-winning spell of 2-26 in the final last year.
The story of Lahore's playing kit is as varied as their performances. They started off with a jersey that was all black with a splash of red. But the switched to a green kit the following season and have kept it throughout. They retained the black and red kit, albeit for away matches.
Lahore Qalandars' jerseys over the years can be seen in the picture gallery above.
PSL 2023 begins in Multan on February 13.
Lahore Qalandars PSL 2023 schedule
February 13: Multan Sultans v Lahore Qalandars, Multan Cricket Stadium, 6.30pm UAE time (7.30pm local)
Feb 19: Karachi Kings v Lahore Qalandars, National Stadium, Karachi, 5.30pm
Feb 21: Quetta Gladiators v Lahore Qalandars, National Stadium, Karachi, 5.30pm
Feb 26: Lahore Qalandars v Peshawar Zalmi, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, 5.30pm
Feb 27: Lahore Qalandars v Islamabad United, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, 5.30pm
March 2: Lahore Qalandars v Quetta Gladiators, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, 5.30pm
Mar 4: Lahore Qalandars v Multan Sultans, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, 5.30pm
Mar 7: Peshawar Zalmi v Lahore Qalandars, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, 12.30pm
Mar 9: Islamabad United v Lahore Qalandars, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, 5.30pm
Mar 12: Lahore Qalandars v Karachi Kings, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, 5.30pm
Squad
Shaheen Afridi (captain) Haris Rauf, Fakhar Zaman, Hussain Talat, Sikandar Raza, David Wiese, Abdullah Shafique, Harry Brook, Kamran Ghulam, Zaman Khan, Liam Dawson, Dilbar Hussain, Mirza Tahir Baig, Ahmed Danlyal, Shawaiz Irfan, Jalat Khan, Ahsan Bhatti, Sam Billings, Rashid Khan, Shane Dadswell, Kusal Mendis, Jordan Cox
Lahore's results in each season
2016, 2017, 2018, 2019: last; 2020: runners-up; 2021: second last; 2022: champions
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
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The specs
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Power: 272hp at 6,400rpm
Torque: 331Nm from 5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.7L/100km
On sale: now
Price: Dh149,000
U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES
UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)
- Saturday 15 January: UAE beat Canada by 49 runs
- Thursday 20 January: v England
- Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh
UAE squad:
Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles
Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly,
Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya
Shetty, Kai Smith
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
More from Neighbourhood Watch
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Canada
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Teachers' pay - what you need to know
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
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La Mer lowdown
La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
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ON%20TRACK
%3Cp%3EThe%20Dubai%20Metaverse%20Assembly%20will%20host%20three%20main%20tracks%3A%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEducate%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Consists%20of%20more%20than%2010%20in-depth%20sessions%20on%20the%20metaverse%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInspire%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Will%20showcase%20use%20cases%20of%20the%20metaverse%20in%20tourism%2C%20logistics%2C%20retail%2C%20education%20and%20health%20care%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EContribute%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Workshops%20for%20metaverse%20foresight%20and%20use-case%20reviews%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
'Moonshot'
Director: Chris Winterbauer
Stars: Lana Condor and Cole Sprouse
Rating: 3/5
