KARACHI: The Quetta Gladiators held their nerve in a tense last-ball thriller to beat the Karachi Kings by 5 wickets in Match 16 of the HBL PSL 9 at National Bank Stadium, Karachi.
Choosing to bowl first after winning the toss, Rilee Rossouw’s spin attack, led by Usman Tariq, restricted the Kings to 165/8 in their 20 overs. The Kings managed to hit a few big shots in the death overs to set up a fighting total.
In response, the Gladiators got off to a good start before losing a few quick wickets in the middle overs. Opener Saud Shakeel (24) and Jason Roy (52) put on 57 for the first wicket before Hassan Ali struck. Skipper Rossouw (6), Sarfaraz Ahmed (3), and Nafay (2) also fell cheaply to leave the Gladiators stumbling at 89/5 after 12.1 overs.
Just when it looked like the Kings had seized control, Sherfane Rutherford launched a sensational counterattack. Smashing six huge sixes in his unbeaten 58 off 31 balls, he stole the game away from the Kings. A last-ball four sealed a famous win that took Quetta to the second spot. Rutherford was fittingly named Player of the Match.
For the Kings, spinner Zahid Mehmood (2/17) was the standout bowler. But Kings fielding and death bowling faltered in the end. The loss leaves Karachi fifth on the table. This heart-stopping thriller kept everyone on the edge of their seats. Quetta showed tremendous nerve to prevail, while Karachi will rue letting this one get away.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.