Khawaja Nafay has been garnering all the limelight after scoring a fine match-winning half-century against reigning champions Lahore Qalandars in the ongoing Pakistan Super League 2024 (PSL 2024). He is plying his trade for Quetta Gladiators in the ongoing edition of the PSL.
In the first game of the season against Peshawar Zalmi, Khawaja Nafay did not have much to do with the bat. He faced only three balls in the innings and remained unbeaten on six. He had the opportunity to prove himself with the bat against Lahore Qalandars and grabbed the opportunity with both hands.
Chasing a big total of 188, the Gladiators were in a spot of bother after losing both of their openers – Saud Shakeel and Jason Roy – in quick succession to find themselves reeling at 72 for 2 from 69 for 0. The likes of Rilee Rossouw, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Sherfane Rutherford failed to get going too.
However, 22-year-old Khawaja Nafay stood firm at one end and showed remarkable temperament to take his team home with five balls remaining in the innings. He scored an unbeaten 60 runs off 31 balls with the help of 4 fours and three sixes for his side.
Khawaja Nafay achieves a big feat:
The brilliant knock against Lahore Qalandars has helped Khawaja Nafay achieve a rare milestone. The right-handed batsman became the first-ever player in the history of PSL to face just one dot ball in an innings of more than 30 balls. It further shows just how good his innings were as he dealt with the pressure in a remarkably calm way.
After the game, he also revealed the names of his favourite batters. Interacting with the media, Khawaja Nafay revealed that India captain Rohit Sharma and Pakistan star Babar Azam are his favourite batters. Talking about the Gladiators, they have started their season with two wins. In their first game, they beat Peshawar Zalmi by 16 runs before beating the Qalandars by five wickets.
On the other hand, the Qalandars have poorly started their title defence and have lost both of their opening games so far. In their first game, they suffered an eight-wicket loss against Islamabad United before losing to the Gladiators.
