Lahore Qalandars will face Islamabad United in eliminator 2 to battle for tournament’s final
Abdullah Shafique’s fifty powered Lahore Qalandars to seal a six-wicket victory over Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 10’s Eliminator 1 played at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on Thursday.
The defeat marked the end of the Kings’ campaign, while Qalandars advance further and will take on defending champions Islamabad United in the Eliminator 2, scheduled to be played at the same venue on Friday.
Chasing a daunting 191-run target, the Qalandars comfortably knocked the winning runs for the loss of just four wickets and eight balls to spare.
The hosts had a steady start to the pursuit as Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Naeem put together 42 runs for the first wicket until the latter fell victim to Hasan Ali in the fifth over.
Naeem scored 14 off 12 deliveries with the help of one four and a six.
Fakhar then shared a brief 33-run partnership for the second wicket with Abdullah Shafique until Fawad Ali dismissed him in the ninth over.
The left-handed opener remained a notable run-getter for Qalandars with a 28-ball 47, laced with five fours and three sixes.
Following his dismissal, Shafique took the reins of Qalandars’ run chase with a well-crafted half-century until walking back to the dugout in the 16th over when the home side needed a further 33 runs from 28 deliveries.
Shafique remained the top-scorer for the Qalandars with a 35-ball 65, studded with three fours and five sixes.
He also shared an anchoring 83-run partnership for the third wicket with Kusal Perera, who made a vital contribution with a 24-ball 30.
For Kings, Hasan Ali led the way with two wickets, while Fawad Ali and Mir Hamza chipped in with one scalp apiece.
Opting to bat first in the must-win clash, the Kings accumulated 190/8 in 20 overs.
The Kings got off to a decent start to their innings as openers Warner and Tim Seifert laid a solid foundation for a big total by putting together 43 runs at a brisk pace.
Seifert was dismissed by Qalandars captain Shaheen Shah Afridi in the fourth over after scoring an eight-ball 16, laced with three boundaries.
Warner then shared brief and one-sided partnerships with James Vince (four), Saad Baig (11) and Muhammad Irfan Khan (18) until eventually falling victim to Mohammad Naeem on the first delivery of the 16th over.
He remained the top-scorer for the Kings with a 52-ball 75, studded with eight fours and three sixes.
Following his dismissal, the Kings lost three more wickets in quick succession but Khushdil Shah’s blistering cameo at the backend bolstered the total.
The left-handed batter smashed three fours and two sixes on his way to an unbeaten 27 off 14 deliveries.
Haris Rauf was the standout bowler for the Qalandars, taking three wickets for 35 runs in his four overs, followed by Shaheen with two, while Shakib Al Hasan, Naeem and Zaman Khan made one scalp apiece.
Playing XIs
Lahore Qalandars: Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Naeem, Abdullah Shafique, Kusal Perera (wk), Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Shakib Al Hasan, Asif Ali, Shaheen Afridi (cap), Salman Mirza, Zaman Khan and Haris Rauf.
Karachi Kings: David Warner (cap), Tim Seifert (wk), James Vince, Saad Baig, Khushdil Shah, Irfan Khan Niazi, Mohammad Nabi, Fawad Ali, Abbas Afridi, Hassan Ali and Mir Hamza.
