Quetta Gladiators ease past Karachi Kings to notch their second victory in PSL 10
LAHORE: Quetta Gladiators clinched their second win of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) Season 10, edging out Karachi Kings by a narrow five-run margin in a tense contest at the Gaddafi Stadium on Friday.
Chasing a modest target of 143, the Kings faltered despite a steady start, closing their innings at 137-8.
Karachi’s pursuit got off to a poor beginning as skipper David Warner was sent back for just four runs by Mohammad Amir in the opening over.
However, Tim Seifert and James Vince responded positively, counterattacking to relieve the early pressure. The pair forged a solid 50-run partnership for the second wicket, consistently rotating the strike and finding the fence.
The tide turned when Quetta captain Saud Shakeel broke the stand by removing Vince, who departed for 30 off 29 deliveries, with the score at 77-2 in the ninth over.
Seifert continued to go after the bowlers but his blistering knock of 47 off 26 balls was ended by Mohammad Wasim Jr., leaving Karachi at 93-3 in the 12th over.
Karachi’s middle-order collapse began soon after. Shan Masood’s lean patch persisted as he crawled to 9 off 17 before being dismissed by Khurram Shahzad.
The pressure mounted when Abrar Ahmed trapped Khushdil Shah for a duck, and Mohammad Amir returned to dismiss Mohammad Nabi for just four.
Shahzad struck again, removing Abbas Afridi for a duck, while Wasim Jr. deepened Karachi’s woes by sending Omair Bin Yousuf back for 11.
Despite a valiant late cameo of 24* off 13 balls from Hasan Ali, Karachi fell just short of the target.
Earlier, after being put into bat, Quetta had their own troubles early on. Captain Saud Shakeel was dismissed cheaply by Hasan Ali, while Mark Chapman fell to Mohammad Nabi, reducing Quetta to 44-4 by the end of the powerplay.
Kusal Mendis offered brief resistance with a brisk 36 off 22 balls, featuring five boundaries, before falling to Abbas Afridi in the ninth over. His partnership of 25 runs with Hassan Nawaz briefly steadied the innings.
Nawaz later teamed up with Faheem Ashraf in a crucial 59-run sixth-wicket stand. Nawaz contributed 35 off 34 before falling to Fawad Ali, who bagged his first-ever PSL wicket. Faheem added valuable late runs with a fluent 43 off 26 before being dismissed by Afridi.
Quetta’s innings wrapped up at 139 in 19.3 overs, with Khurram Shahzad run out by Hasan Ali, assisted by Tim Seifert.
Hasan Ali led Karachi’s bowling effort with three wickets, while Abbas Afridi and Mir Hamza picked up two apiece. Mohammad Nabi and Fawad Ali also chipped in with one wicket each.
