David Warner’s Karachi Kings suffered a 65-run defeat at the hands of Lahore Qalandars in the sixth match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) Season 10, played at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi on Tuesday.
Chasing a formidable target of 202 runs, the Kings’ batting lineup crumbled to a mere 136 all out in 19.1 overs, despite a valiant effort from Khushdil Shah.
The home side endured an unwanted start to their chase as Qalandars’ captain Shaheen Shah Afridi decimated their top order in the very first over, dismissing both David Warner and James Vince for ducks.
Following the early stumble, Shan Masood joined Tim Seifert (both scoring 18 runs) in the middle, attempting to initiate a recovery. However, the duo could only muster a 39-run partnership for the anchoring third wicket before both fell in successive overs, leaving the Kings struggling at 45/4 in 7.1 overs.
The Kings then lost three more wickets in quick succession, further slipping to a precarious 50/7 in 9.5 overs.
Hasan Ali and Khushdil Shah then provided some resistance against a relentless Qalandars’ bowling attack, forging a 48-run partnership for the eighth wicket until Afridi returned to dismiss Hasan.
Hasan scored 27 runs off 25 deliveries, including two boundaries and two sixes.
Khushdil, on the other hand, remained unbeaten until the penultimate over, eventually departing after top-scoring for the 2020 champions with a 27-ball 39, which included four fours and two sixes.
For the Qalandars, Afridi and Rishad Hossain each claimed three wickets, followed by Sikandar Raza with two, while Haris Rauf and Asif Afridi each took one scalp.
The convincing 65-run victory not only ended the Qalandars’ five-match losing streak against the Kings but also solidified their second position in the PSL 10 standings with four points from three matches.
Having elected to bat first, the Qalandars posted a total of 201/6 in their allotted 20 overs, despite an exceptional bowling performance from Hasan Ali.
The visitors had a shaky start to their innings as Hasan dismissed top-order batsmen Mohammad Naeem (seven) and Abdullah Shafique (six) in consecutive overs.
With the scoreboard reading 25/2 in 3.5 overs, Daryl Mitchell joined Fakhar Zaman in the middle to initiate a recovery.
The pair batted sensibly against a momentum-filled Kings’ bowling attack, adding a crucial 125 runs to the Qalandars’ total before Hasan struck again to remove Fakhar.
The left-handed opener scored an impressive 76 runs off 47 deliveries, including six fours and five sixes.
Mitchell then shared a brief 28-run partnership with Sam Billings, who scored 19 runs off 10 deliveries before becoming another victim of Hasan.
The Qalandars then suffered another setback when Mitchell was dismissed by Abbas Afridi in the following over.
The New Zealand international smashed nine boundaries and two sixes on his way to a well-compiled 75 off 41 balls.
Hasan Ali was the standout bowler for the Kings, picking up four wickets for just 28 runs in his four overs, while Abbas Afridi took one wicket.
PLAYING XIs
Lahore Qalandars: Fakhar Zaman, Muhammad Naeem, Abdullah Shafique, Daryl Mitchell, Sam Billings (wk), Sikandar Raza, Shaheen Afridi (c), Rishad Hossain, Haris Rauf, Asif Afridi and Zaman Khan.
Karachi Kings: David Warner (c), Tim Seifert (wk), James Vince, Shan Masood, Irfan Khan Niazi, Khushdil Shah, Arafat Minhas, Abbas Afridi, Adam Milne, Hassan Ali and Fawad Ali.
