Monitoring Desk
SHARJAH: Chasing 187, Karachi Kings had lost two wickets with just four runs on the board before Colin Ingram’s record-smashing knock stunned Quetta Gladiators and took his side home with six wickets and eight balls in hand.
The South African left-hander smashed 12 fours and eight sixes in his unbeaten 59-ball 127, surpassing Sharjeel Khan’s PSL record of 117. At the end of the mayhem, the Gladiators’ had lost their first game of the season after four wins on the trot.
After being put in, Umar Akmal’s 37-ball 55 led the Gladiators’ charge for the most part. He was well supported by Rilee Rossouw and the two added 63 for the third wicket in just 6.5 overs. Umar eventually fell to Aamer Yamin on the third ball of the 19th over with 156 on the board, but some good late hitting from Anwar Ali took them to 186. It wasn’t enough in the end, with Ingram having a party.
Gladiators were 119 for two at the end of 13 overs, with Umar and Rossouw having just brought up their 50-run stand. However, only nine runs came from the next three overs, with Aamer dismissing Rossouw for 44 in the 14th.
Anwar Ali walked out in the 19th over of the Gladiators’ innings and found his range straightaway. He smashed three sixes off the first three deliveries he faced before hitting another off the last ball of the innings to finish on 27 not out off just six balls.
At the end of the 12th over during the chase, the Kings were 91 for three with the required rate having climbed up to 12. But Ingram struck four sixes and three fours in the next two overs – bowled by Ghulam Mudassar and Mohammad Nawaz – to bring down the equation to 54 needed off 36 balls.
With no other batsman in his side crossing 20, Ingram was the undisputed hero of the Kings’ win. He came to the crease in the second over of the chase, with both Babar Azam and Colin Munro back in the dugout. The first ten balls he faced produced only nine runs but the next 21 brought 41.
Nawaz was carted for three successive sixes in the 14th over, while one off Mudassar went out of the stadium. With nine needed off ten balls at the close, Ingram struck Anwar for a four and a six to take Kings to an improbable victory. Babar and Munro are among the best T20 batsmen in the world. At least one of them needed to bat big for the Kings in what was a steep chase.
However, Sohail Tanvir removed Babar on the first ball of the chase, while Nawaz accounted for Munro when the batsman has made just three. Thankfully for the Kings, Ingram had one of his best days in the middle. Despite the loss, the Gladiators remained at the top of the points table with eight points.
But the Kings rose from the bottom of the table to the fifth spot courtesy their win, tied on points with Lahore Qalandars with both teams having two wins from five games.
