PSL 2020: Lahore Qalandars thrash Karachi Kings with 8-wicket victory

 

LAHORE: The Lahore Qalandars thrashed Karachi Kings with an eight-wicket victory in the PSL 2020 clash between the two sides on Sunday.

The Qalandars chased down the 188-run target set by the Kings comfortably courtesy the onslaught of sixes by Ben Dunk, who sent the ball flying a massive 12 times, including the final shot of the match.

Dunk fell short of a century, however managing to amass 99 runs off just 40 deliveries.

Sohail Akhtar was the other big hitter who scored 68 off 46 balls.

Both remained standing till the end of the innings, which came at 19.1 overs.

The sole two wickets claimed by the Karachi Kings were those of Fakhar Zaman, bowled out by Mohammad Amir for a duck and Mohammad Hafeez (16 runs off 24 balls) caught by Cameron Delport off Umer Khan's delivery.

The outcome has given both sides a decent chance to qualify for the top 4. Karachi Kings are placed at the fourth spot with seven points while Lahore Qalandars are in fifth place with six points.

Karachi Kings innings

The Kings' game was propelled by Alex Hales and Chadwick Walton who scored 80 and 45 respectively. The high-octane first innings saw Hales and Walton hit five 6s each.

Prior to the partnership between the two, the side experienced a steady fall of wickets — five to be precise.

Sharjeel Khan was the first man dismissed, run out by wicketkeeper Wiese off Shaheen Afridi's ball at 2.4 overs.

The second to go was Babar Azam (38 off 29), caught at extra cover by Sohail Akhtar off Maaz Khan's delivery at 8.5 overs. The wicket marked Maaz's first of the tournament.

The youngster struck again at 1.2 overs, when he bowled and caught Delport, who went after scoring 15 off 13 balls.

Delport's replacement, Iftikhar Ahmed, was the next to go. He was run out off Fakhar Zaman's delivery. His contribution to the total was a mere run.

The fifth wicket taken was that of Walton's who put up an impressive stand of 45 off 20 before he was taken out by Salman Arshad's delivery.

The Qalandars had won the toss and elected to field first, leaving the Kings to set the match target.

Pre-match observations

The Kings went into this match after their game against Multan Sultans was washed out, while Qalandars thumped Quetta Gladiators by eight wickets in their match last night.

For Qalandars, Mohammad Hafeez is the top scorer with 123 runs with a best of 98*. Samit Patel and Ben Dunk, the heroes of last night's games, have both scored 121 runs each.

In the bowling department, Dilbar Hussain and Shaheen Shah Afridi have both picked six wickets each for the Qalandars.

For the Kings, Babar Azam is leading the batting charts with 187 runs. Alex Hales is the other one pouring in the runs with 159 runs.

Among the bowlers, Mohammad Amir has been impressive with nine wickets and a best of 4-25.

Squads

Karachi Kings: Imad Wasim (captain), Babar Azam, Mohammad Amir, Iftikhar Ahmed, Aamir Yamin, Usama Mir, Umer Khan, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Sharjeel Khan, Cameron Delport, Mohammad Rizwan, Umaid Asif, Chadwick Walton, Ali Khan, Arshad Iqbal, Mitch McClenaghan, Awais Zia

Lahore Qalandars: Sohail Akhtar (captain), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shaheen Shah Afridi, David Wiese, Usman Shinwari, Haris Rauf, Salman Butt, Chris Lynn, Samit Patel, Seekkuge Prasanna, Ben Dunk, Farzan Raja, Jaahid Ali, Muhammad Faizan, Dane Vilas, Dilbar Hussain