LAHORE: Lahore Qalandar beat Quetta Gladiators by six wickets in a thriller. Quetta scored 202, a total which Lahore achieved in the last over. Quetta suffered an early setback as captain Saud Shakeel was dismissed by Qalandars’ skipper and left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi for just fours runs off six balls, leaving the Gladiators at 17-1 in 2.4 overs. Perera of Lahore was adjudged as man of the match.
The match was very well in the hands of the Gladiators however due to their sloppy bowling, the Lahore batters were able to achieve target. Quetta bowlers Mohammad Amir and Fahim Ashraf conceded too many runs in last two overs that fixed a last nail in their coffin.
Quetta’s troubles continued in the next over when Salman Mirza removed Finn Allen for 12 off 11 deliveries, putting the side under early pressure.
However, a 38-run partnership between Rilee Rossouw and Hasan Nawaz steadied the innings.
Rossouw looked dangerous, but his stay was cut short by Sikandar Raza, who made an immediate impact by dismissing him for a quickfire 22 off just 11 balls. At that stage, Quetta were 58-3 in 6.2 overs.
Hasan Nawaz, showing superb form, went on to notch his third fifty of the season. He shared a crucial 67-run stand with Avishka Fernando, helping Quetta regain momentum.
Fernando was dismissed for 29 off 22 balls by Rishad Hossain, who claimed his first wicket with the score at 125-4 in 12.5 overs.
Dinesh Chandimal then joined Nawaz and provided valuable support, striking two sixes off Sikandar Raza in the 17th over to propel the score to 170-4.
Shaheen Afridi returned to halt the charge, removing Chandimal for a brisk 22 off 13 balls. Two balls later, he struck again, dismissing the well-set Hasan Nawaz for a brilliant 76 off 43 deliveries, reducing Quetta to 172-6 in 17.5 overs.
Haris Rauf made further inroads in the 19th over by removing Mohammad Amir and Abrar Ahmed for ducks, denting Quetta’s hopes of a strong finish.
However, Faheem Ashraf played a vital cameo in the final over, smashing 28 off just eight balls, including multiple boundaries, to help Quetta breach the 200-run mark. He was dismissed on the final delivery of the innings.
For Qalandars, Shaheen led the wicket tally with three wickets in his spell, followed by Salman Mirza and Haris Rauf with two wickets each, and Sikandar Raza and Rishad Hossain with one wicket each.
A special tribute was paid to the Pakistan Navy during the innings break as different singers performed in a ceremony. Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ahsraf was also present in the Gaddafi Stadium.
This follows earlier tributes during the tournament to the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Air Force in recognition of their successful Operation Bunayn-um-Marsoos amid recent tensions with India.
Playing XIs
Quetta Gladiators: Saud Shakeel (c), Finn Allen, Hasan Nawaz, Dinesh Chandimal, Avishka Fernando, Rilee Rossouw, Faheem Ashraf, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Amir, Abrar Ahmed and Usman Tariq.
Lahore Qalandars: Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Naeem, Abdullah Shafique, Kusal Perera, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Asif Ali, Sikandar Raza, Shaheen Afridi (c), Haris Rauf, Rishad Hossain and Salman Mirza.
