Quetta Gladiators continued their strong run at home with two thrilling victories at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, boosting their campaign in PSL X.
On Friday night, the Saud Shakeel-led Gladiators edged out Karachi Kings by a narrow margin of five runs to secure their second win of the season. Defending a modest total of 142, Quetta’s bowlers displayed remarkable discipline, with Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Mohammad Amir, and Khurram Shahzad sharing six wickets between them. Abrar Ahmed, who was later named Player of the Match, played a crucial role, conceding just 15 runs in his four overs and dismissing Khushdil Shah for a duck.
Karachi, chasing 143, were jolted early by Amir’s dismissal of David Warner. A promising 73-run stand between Tim Seifert (47 off 26) and James Vince (30 off 29) revived hopes, but the innings unraveled after Saud Shakeel outfoxed Vince. Wasim Jnr’s crucial strike to remove Seifert triggered a collapse, and despite Hasan Ali’s late surge with an unbeaten 24, Kings fell just short at 137-8.
Earlier, Quetta had stumbled to 20-3, with Hasan Ali claiming all three early wickets. Faheem Ashraf (43 off 27) and Hasan Nawaz (35 off 34) revived the innings with a gritty 59-run stand for the sixth wicket. Quetta eventually posted 142, with Hasan Ali finishing with figures of 3-33.
Just two nights later, Quetta Gladiators showcased a much more dominant performance, crushing Peshawar Zalmi by 64 runs to climb to third place on the points table with three wins in five games.
After setting a competitive target of 178-7, thanks to valuable contributions from their top order — Mark Chapman (33), Saud Shakeel (32), Kusal Mendis (32), and Finn Allen (31) — the Gladiators’ bowling attack, spearheaded by Faheem Ashraf, tore through Zalmi’s batting.
Faheem produced a magical spell, registering his second T20 five-wicket haul in just 20 deliveries, finishing with 5-33. He struck early, dismissing Saim Ayub, and later returned to shatter Zalmi’s middle order by removing Mohammad Haris and Abdul Samad. Khurram Shahzad supported well with 2-9, while Mohammad Amir removed Zalmi skipper Babar Azam for 12.
Apart from Hussain Talat’s fighting 39, no other Zalmi batter crossed 20, as the side crumbled for 114 in 15.2 overs. Faheem fittingly ended the innings by removing Luke Wood and Sufyan Moqim, sealing a commanding win for Quetta.
Scores in brief:
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Quetta Gladiators 178-7 in 20 overs (Mark Chapman 33, Saud Shakeel 32, Kusal Mendis 32, Finn Allen 31; Alzarri Joseph 3-33, Saim Ayub 2-24)
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Peshawar Zalmi 114 all out in 15.2 overs (Hussain Talat 39; Faheem Ashraf 5-33, Khurram Shahzad 2-9)
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Player of the Match: Faheem Ashraf (Quetta Gladiators)
What’s next:
Quetta Gladiators will look to continue their momentum when they face Multan Sultans on Tuesday night at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. First ball at 8 PM PKT.
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