Kevin Pietersen stuck blistering 88 as Quetta Gladiators defeated Lahore Qalandars by 5 wickets in the highest-scoring match of Pakistan Super League (PSL) played at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, UAE on Saturday. Chasing a mammoth total of 200 set by Lahore Qalandars, Pietersen, who was struggling to make any impact in the earlier stage of the tournament, hit eight 6s and three 4s in his 88 off 42 balls to guide Gladiators to victory with seven balls to spare.
The former England player was ably supported by Gladiators Captain Sarfraz Ahmed who made 25-ball 45 hitting three 6s and as many 4s. Rile Rossouw also chipped in with 33 runs. Earlier, Jason Roy smashed a 26-run fifty and Fakhar Zaman struck 47 from 31 balls as Lahore Qalandars became the first team of the Pakistan Super League to hit 200 in the second edition. Roy struck three 6s and six 4s in his 52 and Zaman hit one 6 and six 4s to give Qalandars a flying start before Mohammad Rizwan (46) and Cameron Delport (35) lifted the team's total to 200 in 20 overs.
Quetta Gladiators Captain Sarfraz Ahmed won the toss and elected to bowl first against Lahore Qalandars. Sent into bat first, Qalandars were off to a blistering start, greeting the Gladiators bowlers with fours and sixes from the word go. Quetta has made one change in their side, bringing in Saad Naseem in place of struggling opener Asad Shafiq. In Lahore Qalandars, Cameron Delport has comes in for Grant Elliott.