HBL PSL 2020: Karachi Kings restrict Qalandars to 150

• Batting first at the National Stadium after losing toss, openers Fakhar Zaman and Skipper Akhtar provided a great start.
• A moment of joy for Karachi fans came on the last ball of the powerplay, when Umaid Asif removed Fakhar Zaman, who scored 17 -- he struck three boundies.
• Other noticeable performance came from Muhammad Hafeez's bat, he scored unbeaten 35 of 22 balls.

Sohail Akhtar's magnificent half-century leads Lahore Qalandars to a respectable total of 150 against Karachi Kings in match 26 of the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) season five in Karachi.

Batting first at the National Stadium after losing toss, openers Fakhar Zaman and Skipper Akhtar provided a great start. Both put on 49-run stand for the first wicket.

A moment of joy for Karachi fans came on the last ball of the powerplay, when Umaid Asif removed Fakhar Zaman, who scored 17 -- he struck three boundies.

Following Fakhar's departure, Chirs Lynn joined the Qalandars skipper on the crease. The duo added only 23 runs before Lynn walked back to dugout courtesy of Arshad Iqbal -- who is playing in place of Omer Khan.

Ben Dunk was the third wicket to fall for the Qalandars, who scored only nine runs of 14 deliveries. This was Umaid Asif's second wicket of the game.

Meanwhile, Akhtar went on to score a magnificent half-century. He struck eight boundaries and two maximums in his 68-run knock. Other noticeable performance came from Muhammad Hafeez's bat, he scored unbeaten 35 of 22 balls.

Arshad Iqbad and Umaid Asif shared two wickets each while, Chirs Jordan bagged a crucial wicket of Samit Patel for the Kings.

The victory in today's contest will almost ensure a place in top four for either side.

Earlier, Karachi Kings won toss and elected to bowl first against Lahore Qalandars in match 26 of the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) season five being played at National Stadium Karachi.

With four wins in eight games the Qalandars sit at third spot on the table while the Kings are at fifth spot after securing seven points playing same number of games. The Imad Wasim-led side have so far won three games and lost as many matches with one match abandoned due to rain.

On the other hand, Lahore has won four and lost four matches.

Teams

Karachi Kings:

Imad Wasim (C), Babar Azam, Sharjeel Khan, Alex Hales, Chadwick Walton, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Amir, Chris Jordan, Usama Mir, Umaid Asif, Arshad Iqbal.

Lahore Qalandars:

Fakhar Zaman, Chris Lynn, Sohail Akhtar (C), Mohammad Hafeez, Ben Dunk, Mohammad Faizan, Shaheen Afridi, Samit Patel, David Wiese, Haris Rauf, Dilbar Hussain.

Karachi Kings are all set to lock horns against Lahore Qalandars today (Thrusday), as the Habib Bank Limited (HBL) Pakistan Super League (PSL) season five action returns to the city of lights.

The high octane clash will begin at 7 PM PST at the National Stadium Karachi, where both sides will be looking for a win in order to secure their place in top four.

With four wins in eight games the Qalandars sit at third spot on the table while the Kings are at fifth spot after securing seven points playing same number of games.

The Imad Wasim-led side have so far won three games and lost as many matches with one match abandoned due to rain.

On the other hand, Lahore has won four and lost four matches.

Hosts of the evening have to play three more games at the same venue, which give them an added advantage over the other sides to book a place in play-offs.

Meanwhile, the Qalandars, who are on a dream run in this season after completing a hat-trick of victories, also have a chance to make it to the final four if they win their remaining two games.

The teams earlier met on March 8 at the Gaddafi Stadium with Lahore beating Karachi by eight wickets.