Published: Feb 10, 2017, 08:59 PM (IST)
Edited: Feb 10, 2017, 09:00 PM (IST)
Quetta Gladiators beat Lahore Qalandars by 8 runs in a nerve-wrecking contest on Friday in Match 2 of the second edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2017. In what turned out to be an epic contest between both sides in Dubai, the momentum swung from one side to another but the Qalandars surrendered during the fag end of the match. Despite setting a below-par 137, the Gladiators showed enough character on the field and bowled tight spells to sail past the finish line. With this win, previous editions’ finalists, Islamabad United and Gladiators, have opened their account in PSL 2017.
Opting to bowl, Qalandars had Gladiators on the edge with the openers falling early. Ahmed Shehzad was the first to depart, off Sohail Tanvir. Mohammad Irfan did not let Gladiators No. 3 Kevin Pietersen to settle, and rattled his stumps for 3. Bilawal Bhatti, Sunil Narine and Yasir Shah applied the brakes on Gladiators’ scoring and chipped in regular wickets. Rilee Rossouw stood firm in the middle but lost his high-profile partners Sarfraz Ahmed, Asad Shafiq, Thisara Perera and Mohammad Nawaz.
Nonetheless, if Gladiators registered their lowest score in the first 6 overs, they made up for it by scoring at over 10 in the last 7. Rossouw used the long handle to good effect and took his side’s innings at 136 for 9. He piled up 60 off 47 balls.
Chasing a modest 137, Qalandars showed promise towards the beginning. Jason Roy and Brendon McCullum, a dream opening pair in T20 cricket, played a few big shots before departing in quick succession with the introduction of Zulfiqar Babar. Nawaz and Hasan Ali pulled back things with some tidy spells and careless shots played by Qalandars’ batsmen. They were struggling at 77 for 6.
Nonetheless, they repair work began from Grant Elliott and Narine. Elliott looked set to take his side through before falling for 26. This again swung the momentum towards the Gladiators. After Elliott’s wicket, it looked like McCullum’s side lacked the much-needed calmness. Narine fell too, though not before hitting 3 sixes. Nawaz brought his side back into the game with late breakthroughs, and the last wicket went to Hasan’s tally. Hasan was named Man of the Match for his figures of 2 for 10 after a short cameo.
Brief scores:
Quetta Gladiators 136 for 9 in 20 overs (Asad Shafiq 29, Rilee Rossouw 60; Mohammad Irfan 3 for 26, Sohail Tanvir 2 for 24) beat Lahore Qalandars 128 all-out in 18.4 overs (Jason Roy 27, Grant Elliott 26, Sunil Narine 26; Mohammad Nawaz 2 for 19, Hasan Ali 2 for 10) by 8 runs.
Man of the Match: Hasan Ali.
