Shaheen Afridi-led Lahore Qalandars thumped Quetta Gladiators by 63 runs in the 10th match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season eight in Karachi.
Chasing a mammoth 199-run target, Quetta were restricted to just 135/8 in 20 overs.
Gladiators lost Abdul Wahid Bangalzai in the first over as Shaheen trapped him leg before the wicket with a peach of a delivery. Martin Guptill, who scored a blistering hundred against Karachi last week, looked clueless against the pace of Shaheen and Zaman Khan, and eventually got out for 15 off 18 balls just after the powerplay.
Jason Roy, who came to bat one down, struggled in the first couple of overs but recovered quickly to hit three sixes to Haris Rauf in the fifth over. With his quickfire 48, Roy kept the asking rate in check, before being clean-bowled by Rashid Khan. in the ninth over.
His wicket triggered a collapse as Quetta batters kept losing wickets in search of big hits in the middle overs. No batter other than Roy and Mohammad Hafeez (25) entered double figures.
Shaheen Afridi and Rashid Khan starred for Lahore with the ball. They ended up with figures of 3/22 and 1/17 in their quota of 4 overs, respectively.
First Innings
After being put into bat, Lahore Qalandars took off to a belligerent start, with Mirza Tahir Baig (31 off 15) and Fakhar Zaman (22 off 14) scoring freely against Quetta’s fast bowlers. Both of them perished inside the powerplay but Shai Hope (47 off 32) ensured that the momentum was not lost in the middle.
Quetta made a late comeback with a couple of wickets in the death overs, however, Sikandar Raza’s 16-ball 32 propelled Lahore to 198/6 in their 20 overs.
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Points Table Update
The win provides Qalandars with two valuable points. With four points, they sit second in the points table, followed by Peshawar Zalmi in the third with as many points. Multan Sultans are still at the top with 6 points. Karachi Kings are fourth, while Islamabad United and Quetta Gladiators are in the fifth and sixth spots with two points each.
Next Fixtures
In an all-important game, Karachi Kings will face Multan Sultans at 6:00 pm on Tuesday. The match will be played at the Multan Cricket Stadium.
Past PSL Winners
PSL 2016 – Islamabad United
PSL 2017 – Peshawar Zalmi
PSL 2018 – Islamabad United
PSL 2019 – Quetta Gladiators
PSL 2020 – Karachi Kings
PSL 2021 – Multan Sultans
PSL 2022 - Lahore Qalandars