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March 11, 2024
Credit to Pakistan Super League Image Gallery
On Sunday at National Bank Stadium in Karachi, Quetta Gladiators clinched their place in the HBL PSL 9 playoffs by triumphing over Lahore Qalandars with a six-wicket victory.
After limiting Lahore to 166-4 in their initial innings, Quetta Gladiators’ vice-captain Saud Shakeel delivered an outstanding unbeaten innings of 88 runs, leading his team to a narrow victory over Lahore in a thrilling finish.
Lahore Qalandars, opting to bat first, could only manage 166-4. Sahibzada Farhan and Mirza Tahir Baig provided a solid start, with Farhan hitting a boundary on the very first ball of the match. Both players continued to find the boundary frequently during the third, fourth, and fifth overs, setting a competitive total.
Abrar Ahmed, who came into the attack in the sixth over, made an immediate impact by dismissing Farhan (25, 22 balls, 4 boundaries) on his third delivery and then removing Tahir (12, 13 balls, 1 six) on the final ball of the over, reducing Lahore to 39-2 by the end of the powerplay.
In response, Abdullah Shafique, batting at number three, struck two consecutive boundaries off Mohammad Wasim Jr. in the seventh over to stabilize the innings. He followed this with another boundary off Abrar in the subsequent over. Shai Hope, who only managed five runs off seven balls, was dismissed caught behind by Wasim in the 10th over, leaving Lahore at 70-3 at the halfway stage.
Shaheen Shah Afridi moved up the batting order, taking on the task of increasing his team’s total. The partnership between Abdullah and Shaheen at the fourth-wicket stand proved pivotal, as they accumulated 91 runs off 57 balls, thereby gaining control of the innings.
Following a period of four relatively uneventful overs, Shaheen launched an aggressive assault on Akeal Hosein, hitting three sixes in the 15th over. He continued his onslaught by belting two more sixes off Abrar in the following over, bringing up his second half-century of the HBL PSL season.
In the 18th over, Abdullah (59 not out, 39 balls, 3 fours, 2 sixes) capped off his second consecutive half-century of HBL PSL 9 in impressive fashion, hitting a six off Hosein’s fourth delivery.
During the final over, Sohail Khan made a crucial catch on his second attempt at deep third man, aiding Amir in dismissing Shaheen, who departed after scoring 55 off 34 balls, featuring two fours and four sixes. The last over yielded just six runs, leaving Lahore with a solid total.
Abrar claimed two wickets, while Amir and Wasim each took one. Jason Roy and Saud Shakeel set a solid foundation for the Quetta Gladiators with a 39-run opening partnership, with Roy hitting three consecutive fours off Shaheen’s first three deliveries.
In the sixth over, Jahandad Khan broke the partnership by dismissing Roy (18 runs off 14 balls, including 4 fours) who was caught behind. At the end of the powerplay, Quetta Gladiators stood at 43-1.
Saud Shakeel was soon accompanied by captain Rilee Rossouw, and together they formed a 27-run second-wicket partnership. Jahandad Khan ended this stand on the final ball of the ninth over, dismissing Rossouw for 13 runs off 11 balls, which included one four.
Notably, Quetta’s captain became the first overseas player to reach 2,000 runs in HBL PSL history, joining an exclusive group of five, which includes Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Shoaib Malik, and Mohammad Rizwan.
Khawaja Nafay and Saud Shakeel forged a resilient third-wicket partnership, amassing 70 runs off 53 balls to regain Quetta’s momentum after the early loss of wickets. Saud reached his second half-century of HBL PSL 9 in the 13th over, needing 42 balls to achieve the milestone.
Shaheen Afridi eventually dismantled the stand by trapping Nafay (26 off 24 balls, including one six) leg-before in the 18th over.
With Quetta needing 29 runs from the last two overs, Saud and Laurie Evans were at the crease. Jahandad Khan gave away 15 runs in the penultimate over, thanks to a boundary by Evans and a six by Saud, leaving 14 runs to get from the final six balls.
Shaheen Afridi struck early in the final over, dismissing Laurie Evans (7 off 4 balls, including one four) with a brilliant diving catch by Tahir at deep cover point. Saud then delivered with two successive boundaries, bringing Quetta closer to their target.
With just four runs needed off the final ball, Wasim, the sixth batter, hit a crucial six to secure the win. Saud (88 not out off 65 balls, with 5 fours and 4 sixes) remained unbeaten, steering Quetta into the playoffs for the first time since 2019.
Jahandad Khan and Shaheen Afridi both claimed two wickets each in the match.
Quetta Gladiators secured a six-wicket victory over Lahore Qalandars.
Player of the Match: Saud Shakeel (Quetta Gladiators)
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Katarzyna Nowak is a seasoned writer with over five years of experience in editorial content, news reporting, and cricket sportsbook app reviews. As an author for Top Cricket News, she combines her deep understanding of the sports betting industry with a passion for cricket, delivering insightful and accurate content that keeps readers informed and engaged.
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