Watch: Rashid Khan and Rilee Rossouw involved in war of words in PSL final

Usually calm and composed, Afghan spin king Rashid Khan seemingly lost his cool in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2023 final on Saturday (March 18) and was seen engaging in a war of words with opposition batter Rilee Rossouw. 

Khan gave a quiet send-off to the Rossouw after dismissing him in the Lahore Qalandards versus Multan Sultans clash at the Gaddafi Stadium but the gesture of the finger on the mouth and the stare got under the skin of Rossouw, who left his disappointment under no doubt and had a chat with the bowler before walking off.

Getting him bowled with another of his terrific wristspin deliveries at the most crucial juncture of the Sultans run-chase, Rashid Khan initially indulged in his trademark hands-raised celebrations but then showed a finger on the mouth to Rossouw, which got the batter bemused as he then reacted in anger. 

It required the umpire to intervene and quieten down the proceedings while Khan tried to explain his side of the story. Rossouw walked off to the Sultans’ shed but not before giving fans a controversial moment from an otherwise cricket-heavy final, where the Qalandars came out on top for the second successive year in the PSL final versus this opposition. 

Rashid-Rossouw angry exchange from PSL 2023 final 

It happened at the halfway mark of the 11th over in the Sultans’ run-chase. Bolstering their quest to chase down Qalandards’ massive score of 201, they found themselves 105/1 at that stage with Rossouw being their most dangerous proposition for the bowling side, having struck a breezy 52* off 31 balls. 

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The Qalandars needed a wicket and who better than Rashid Khan to deliver one when required? Khan weaved his magic on the ball and got Rossouw’s inside edging an attempted slog that crashed onto the stumps. 

.@rashidkhan_19 – Genius at work! 🤫#HBLPSL8 | #SabSitarayHumaray | #MSvLQ pic.twitter.com/4tyCHZeB6J

— PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) March 18, 2023

The moment the wicket fell, Khan erupted in celebrations before giving Rossouw a star and showing him a finger on the mouth as if to urge him to quieten up now. 

It was presumably a response to Rossouw’s early jiggering against the bowler but one that got the batter fuming as he gave Khan a mouthful before walking off the stage. 

It helped that there were Qalandards celebrations going on and Khan was controlled by the umpire. Or else, things could’ve escalated.