England and Pakistan 2 explosive hitters Jason Roy and Ahmed Iftikhar I had a heated argument last night when Multan Sultans and Quetta Gladiators played the last match of the PSL 9 league phase. Roy and Iftikhar got involved after the Englishman received his marching orders from the crease while kicking in the air in frustration. The incident shocked the entire crowd present at the National Stadium in Karachi.
As Jason Roy kicked the air in frustration, he didn’t notice Iftikhar Ahmed walking past him. Although Roy’s kick did not make contact with Iftikhar, the Pakistani veteran might not have liked the gesture. On his way to join the team’s hurdle race, Iftikhar said a few words to the English batsman, who also had a few words in return.
Watch the video of Jason Roy and Iftikhar’s argument at the Karachi stadium
Hot moments between iftikhar chachu and jason roy pic.twitter.com/S4crrtBz1t
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It all happened after Jason Roy’s compatriot David Willey got him out leg short of the wicket with a short delivery. It was a plumb LBW as the ball would have hit the middle and outside stump after crashing into Roy’s thigh pad. The Englishman, who recently announced that he will not participate in IPL 2024, attempted a bad shot against Willey.
Jason Roy, instead of playing with a straight bat and towards the side screen, crossed the line to take the shot, misjudged the length and lost his wicket for 3 for 7. His poor decision frustrated him and that kick went in the El heat of the moment, but he never intended to disrespect anyone.
But Iftikhar Ahmed, known for his aggressive nature, felt that Jason Roy disrespected him. The argument between them caused the match to stop for a while. Multan Sultans captain Mohammad Rizwan was the first to intervene on the scene and asked Roy to continue walking back to the dressing room while others pulled Iftikhar back.
Jason Roy’s cheap dismissal started another dramatic batting collapse for the Quetta Gladiators, who could have finished second on the points table had they won against Multan last night. The Gladiators will now have to make two efforts to reach the final: defeat Islamabad United in Playoff 1 and then beat either Multan or Peshawar Zalmi in Playoff 2.
Gladiators’ South African captain Rilee Rossouw expressed concern over the team’s poor batting performance and took full blame. “Our batting let us down once again. The bottom line is that I need to start scoring runs. I’m letting the team down. Hopefully something happens in the playoffs. We wanted to play some good cricket heading into the playoffs. That was not like that.” – said Rossouw during the post-match presentation.
Jason Roy ends PSL 9 league stage with 252 runs
With his 3 for 7 last night, Jason Roy closed the group stage of PSL 9 with 252 runs in 9 innings at a strike rate of 143.18. Roy had a best of 75 runs on his way to scoring those runs, including thirty-one fours and only eight sixes. Jason Roy will be back in action very soon when Quetta takes on Islamabad United in Eliminator 1 on March 15 in Karachi.