F.P. Report
KARACHI: Sherfane Rutherford displayed nerves of steel and steered Quetta Gladiators to a narrow victory over Karachi Kings in the 16th match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 9 here at National Bank Stadium on Thursday.
Put into bat first, the Kings got off to an unwanted start to their innings as they lost their captain Shan Masood (0) in the first over, bowled by Akeal Hosein.
But, their vice-captain James Vince partnered strongly with Tim Seifert and launched a counterattack.
The duo added a brisk 59-run stand and took Kings to 61/1 at the conclusion of the batting powerplay.
But Usman Tariq turned the game on its head in his first over by removing both set batters.
Seifert scored 21 off 11 deliveries with the help of two boundaries and a six while Vince top-scored for the Kings with a 25-ball 37 which featured eight boundaries.
Following the back-to-back dismissals, Mohammad Nawaz joined experienced Shoaib Malik in the middle and knitted a crucial partnership.
The pair added 39 runs for the fourth wicket until Abrar Ahmed dismissed Malik in the 13th over. He scored 12 off 20 deliveries.
Mohammad Nawaz, who dominated the fourth-wicket partnership with a brisk 28 fell in the next over. His 19-ball knock featured four boundaries.
Nawaz’s dismissal sparked a lower middle-order collapse as the Kings lost three more wickets — Kieron Pollard (13), Hasan Ali (2) and Muhammad Irfan Khan (15) — in quick succession and consequently slipped to 138/8 in 17.2 overs.
Veteran all-rounder Anwar Ali, however, offered late fireworks with an unbeaten cameo and bolstered Karachi Kings’ total to 165/8 in the allotted overs.
He smashed one four and two sixes on his way to a 14-ball 25.
Abrar Ahmed led the bowling attack for Quetta Gladiators with 3/31, followed by Akeal Hosein and Usman Tariq, who bagged two each. Pacer Sohail Khan, on the other hand, made one scalp.
It is worth mentioning here that Quetta Gladiators are placed second in the PSL 9 standings with six points in four matches while Karachi Kings are fifth with four points in as many matches.
