LAHORE: Quetta Gladiators defeated Karachi Kings by 23 runs and gave a big boost to their hopes to reach the playoff stage of PSL 7 here on Sunday at the Gaddafi Stadium before a charged crowed.
After Multan Sultans and Lahore Qalandars, the third team to reach the playoffs is Peshawar Zalmi, who have reached the playoffs with 10 points. Quetta Gladiators and Islamabad United have eight points each.
Gladiators had 6 points from nine games and the new victory have put them at the level of Islamabad United, who have 8 points from eight games, in the points table
In the 28th match of the event, chasing 167 runs, Karachi Kings managed to score only 143 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in the stipulated 20 overs.
Khurram Shehzad of Quetta Gladiators bowled brilliantly and guided four players to the pavilion.
In pursuit of the desired goal, English cricketer Joe Clarke played a responsible knock with captain Babar Azam and established an initial partnership of 87 runs.
Joe Clarke played a breezy innings of 52 runs with 2 sixes and 4 fours.
Babar Azam confined his poor run in the event and was dismissed for 36 runs.
His innings included one six and three fours and after his departure, none of the Karachi Kings batsmen could stay on the crease for long to revive the sagging fortune of the innings.
The coming batsmen Sharjeel Khan 16, Qasim Akram 9, Rohail Nazir 8, Emad Wasim 11, Louis Gregory (0) and Tom Lemonbe (0) , fell cheaply.
Karachi Kings needed 37 runs to win in the last 12 balls and Khurram Shehzad made the match interesting by taking two wickets on the last two balls of the over despite being hit for a six on the second ball.
Khurram Shehzad took 4 wickets for 22 runs. Naseem Shah took 2 wickets.
Earlier Gladiators’ skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed won the toss and opted to bat first against Kings and saw his side reaching 166 runs for the loss of four wickets in allotted 20 overs.
Opener Will Smeed could not deliver in the match and lost his wicket after making just 10 runs off 11 deliveries. Kings pacer Usman Khan Shinwari drew first blood for his team.
After Smeed’s dismissal Jason Roy and James Vince shared over a 60-run partnership. James Vince added 29 runs to the scoreboard off 24 balls with three fours and one six before being dismissed.
Umar Akmal went to the pavilion after making just two runs.
It was Iftikhar Ahmed and Roy’s partnership at the backend of the innings helped Quetta set Kings at a challenging victory target .
Englishman Jason Roy remained the top scorer for Gladiators with 82 runs off 64 deliveries with 11 bounders.
While, Kings’ Imad Wasim, Mir Hamza, Usman Khan Shinwari and Lewis Gregory took one wicket each.
Squads:
Quetta Gladiators: Jason Roy, Will Smeed, James Vince, Sarfaraz Ahmed (c), Iftikhar Ahmed, Umar Akmal, Hassan Khan, Muhammad Irfan, Naseem Shah, Muhammad Ashar Qureshi, Khurram Shahzad.
Karachi Kings: Sharjeel Khan, Babar Azam (c), Joe Clarke, Lewis Gregory, Tom Lammonby, Rohail Nazir,Qasim Akram, , Imad Wasim, Umaid Asif, Usman Shinwari, Mir Hamza.
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