Lahore Qalandars: 177-5 (20) | Abdullah 55(39), Fakhar 54(35) | Zahid 2/27, Anwar 1/36
Karachi Kings: 179-7 (20) | Vince 42(27), Seifert 36(33) | Tayyab 2/23, Sikandar 1/23
Kings scraped home on the last ball of the
final over, remaining in the hunt for a playoffs spot.
Karachi Kings, chasing 178 runs, started brightly
with openers Tim Seifert and James Vince amassing 58 runs in the powerplay.
Tayyab Abbas dismissed Vince in the following over to get his maiden PSL wicket.
However, Shan Masood and Seifert anchored the innings, but Qalandars got
themselves back in the game by getting three wickets in a quick succession. Masood
scored 24 off 16, Kieron Pollard departed for just three, while Seifert scored
36 off 33, before being run out.
With 65 required off 34, a crucial
partnership between Irfan Khan and Shoaib Malik revived the Kings’ hopes. Irfan’s
brisk 35 runs off just 16 deliveries pushed Qalandars on the back foot.
However, Shaheen Shah Afridi dismissed dangerous Irfan in the penultimate over,
but a last ball boundary by Malik in the same over, turned the tide in Karachi’s
favor. Famous for ball final over, Zaman Khan was given the task to defend 8
runs in the last over. Lahore struck twice and dismissed Anwar Ali and Arafat
Minhas.
Nonetheless, with the required 3 on the final
ball, experienced Shoaib Malik held the nerve and smashed a boundary towards
backward point to seal a dramatic victory for Karachi Kings. He scored an
unbeaten 27 runs in 17 deliveries.
Tayyab Abbas was the pick of the bowlers
for Lahore Qalandars, getting 2 key wickets for 23 runs, while Sikandar Raza,
Zaman and Shaheen picked up one wicket each.
Earlier, opting to field first after winning
the toss, Karachi’s decision seemed justified as they managed to restrict Lahore
to a competitive total of 177-5. Qalandars got off to a shaky start as they
lost Mirza Tahir Baig in the third over. However, a solid 70-run partnership
between Abdullah Shafique and Fakhar Zaman steadied the innings. Fakhar struck
a fluent fifty, scoring 54 runs off 35 balls, before getting run out. Abdullah
continued his good touch, reaching his maiden PSL9 half-century before departing.
Qalandars were put under pressure with the dismissals of Shai Hope and Shaheen Afridi
(who promoted himself up the order). But David Weise (24* off 9 balls) and Sikandar
Raza (22* off 16 balls) provided a late flourish with an unbeaten 46-run stand.
For Karachi Kings, Zahid Mahmood finished with
figure 2/27 whereas Anwar Ali and Blessing Muzarabani secured one scalp each.
Irfan Khan Niazi was given the player of the match award for his impactful 35 runs off 16 balls.
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