Lahore Qalandars Vs Quetta Gladiators | Match 20 | PSL 7|, Lahore Qalandars 143 for 2 (Fakhar 53, Ghulam 55*) beat Quetta Gladiators 141 for 7 (Iftikhar 52, Afridi 2-27, Wiese 2-25) by eight wickets |
Top-order runs and a ruthless new-ball bowling performance from Lahore Qalandars saw Shaheen Shah Afridi‘s side coast to an eight-wicket victory over Quetta Gladiators. It began with the trademark Afridi first over which brought two wickets, including the prized scalp of Jason Roy. Before long, the Gladiators had slumped to 25 for 4, with the recovery only taking them to 141. It was never really a challenge for the home side, with fifties from Fakhar Zaman and Kamran Ghulam seeing them canter to victory with 2.3 overs to spare.
Fakhar, Ghulam, bowlers give Qalandars comfortable win
Iftikhar Ahmed’s fifty in vain as Qalandars tightened their grip on second spot
Top-order runs and a ruthless new-ball bowling performance from Lahore Qalandars saw Shaheen Shah Afridi’s team coast to an eight-wicket victory over Quetta Gladiators. Iftikhar Ahmed’s fifty was in vain as Qalandars tightened their grip on second place. Lahore Qalandars defeated Quetta Gladiators 141 for 7 (Iftikhar 52, Afridi 2-27, WieIt began with Afridi’s signature first over, which resulted in two wickets, including Jason Roy’s prized scalp.The Gladiators’ recovery only brought them to 141 after they had fallen to 25 for 4.The home team never really had to worry about it, as Fakhar Zaman and Kamran Ghulam fifty helped them win with 2.3 overs to spare.
When Roy gloved Phil Salt behind the stumps with the second ball of the game, the Gladiators once more looked like the weak, unimpressive team that had only won one of their four games without him.A pearler was used to remove fellow Englishman James Vince’s stumps by darting between the bat and pad.Soon after, the Gladiators’ propensity for errant running cost them dearly, as Sarfaraz Ahmed, the previous day’s Player of the Match, was cheaply taken out by a direct hit.The Gladiators were left reeling when Rashid Khan, who bowled a magnificent spell and only conceded 13 runs in four overs, bowled Ahsan Ali with a googly in his first over.
After a 51-run stand between Iftikhar Ahmed and Hassan Khan, the recovery started with another brief cameo from Umar Akmal.The Gladiators would have something to bowl at if Iftikhar had scored a 52 off 39 balls, but they would need to bat all the way through the innings to actually reach a manageable total.The innings stalled after he hit a home run in the 18th over.
In the second innings, there was not much at stake.In the powerplay, the Qalandars didn’t go all out, but only because they didn’t really need to.Abdullah Shafique was kicked out of the PSL early by Ghulam Mudassar, but Fakhar’s phenomenal time there did not seem to be going away.In a 42-ball 53, the opener hit six boundaries, and even when he top-edged one off Noor Ahmed to end his innings, his team needed only 24 more in 27 balls.
As the Qalandars consolidated their hold on second place, Mudassar and Mohammad Hafeez swiftly eliminated those opponents.They are close to qualifying for the playoffs of a tournament that will now be played entirely on their own turf.The team that has become so accustomed to finishing last might actually be on their way to winning at home.
|Pakistan | Gladiators vs. Qalandars | Pakistan Super League | Shaheen Shah Afridi | Fakhar Zaman | Kamran Ghulam
