Quetta Gladiators kept their hopes of reaching the Pakistan Super League playoffs alive with a remarkable four-wicket victory over Karachi Kings at the Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi.
The match looked almost certain to go Karachi’s way for a large part of the night. The Kings had posted a competitive 164 runs for six wickets in their 20 overs, while Quetta’s chase got off to a very poor start. At one stage, the Gladiators were struggling badly and appeared to be heading towards another disappointing defeat.
However, veteran New Zealand opener Martin Guptill had other plans.
Guptill produced a superb late hitting display and scored an unbeaten 86 from just 56 balls. His innings included nine fours and four sixes and completely changed the game when Quetta needed a big push. Captain Sarfraz Ahmed also played an important supporting role before a late run-out brought his innings to an end.
With just one delivery remaining in the 20th over, Dwaine Pretorius finished the job by hitting two boundaries and took the Gladiators to 168 for six. The result gave Quetta a much-needed win and kept them mathematically alive in the playoff race.
Karachi Kings Put Up a Fighting Total
Karachi Kings were asked to bat first and did not enjoy a perfect beginning.
Naseem Shah gave Quetta an early breakthrough on the very first ball when he got Matthew Wade to edge a well-directed outswinger. Sarfraz Ahmed took the catch behind the stumps, leaving Karachi without a run on the board.
The Kings suffered another setback soon after when Tayyab Tahir was dismissed for seven. Aimal Khan was the bowler who made the breakthrough, adding more pressure on Karachi during the early part of the innings.
Despite losing wickets, Adam Rossington steadied the innings. The English batter played with confidence and kept finding the boundary. His aggressive approach helped Karachi reach 53 runs for two wickets at the end of the powerplay.
Qasim Akram then became Aimal Khan’s second victim, while experienced all-rounder Shoaib Malik also failed to make a major impact. Malik scored 13 from 15 deliveries before being caught in the deep.
Rossington, however, continued to lead the recovery. He reached his half-century from 32 balls and kept the scoreboard moving. His partnership with Imad Wasim became important for Karachi as the innings entered its final stages.
Imad attacked the Quetta bowlers and sent Aimal Khan over the boundary before hitting another couple of boundaries in the same over. Rossington also remained aggressive and used the sweep and scoop effectively.
He eventually fell for a well-made 69 from 45 balls. His innings contained 10 fours and one six and gave Karachi a strong platform.
After Rossington’s dismissal, Aamer Yamin came out and provided a quick finish. He hit a six and a four off Naveen-ul-Haq and later struck another maximum against Dwaine Pretorius.
Naseem Shah also returned to remove James Fuller with a brilliant yorker.
By the end of 20 overs, Karachi Kings had reached 164 for six. Imad Wasim remained unbeaten on 30 from 20 balls, while Yamin finished with 23 from only 11 deliveries. The total looked strong enough, especially considering the early problems faced by Quetta.
Quetta Lose Wickets Early
Quetta Gladiators needed 165 runs for victory, but their chase soon became difficult.
Debutant Omair Bin Yousuf scored eight runs before Aamer Yamin dismissed him. Mohammad Nawaz was promoted in the batting order because Sarfraz Ahmed was dealing with a finger injury, but he could not stay for long either.
Nawaz was dismissed by Mohammad Musa for 15, leaving Quetta in trouble.
The situation became even worse when Iftikhar Ahmed was trapped lbw by Tabraiz Shamsi. Najibullah Zadran then became Shamsi’s second wicket after pulling a delivery straight to a fielder in the deep.
Umar Akmal, who had played a powerful cameo in Quetta’s previous match against Islamabad United, also failed to stay at the crease for long. James Fuller removed him for nine.
After those early wickets, the Gladiators were struggling badly.
At the halfway stage of the chase, Quetta needed 101 runs from the remaining 10 overs. The required rate was rising quickly, while Karachi’s bowlers appeared to have the upper hand.
Only Guptill and Sarfraz were left to carry the chase.
Guptill Changes the Match
For several overs, Quetta struggled to score boundaries. Guptill found the fence twice in the 12th over, but the Gladiators still had a huge task ahead of them.
Then everything changed.
With 65 runs needed from the final 27 balls, Guptill suddenly shifted into another gear. He went deep into his crease and launched Mohammad Amir over midwicket for a massive six.
That shot was more than just six runs. It gave Quetta belief.
Guptill then attacked James Fuller, smashing him for another huge six to bring up his half-century. He followed it with three boundaries and another six before the over ended.
The momentum had completely changed.
Karachi’s bowlers, who had controlled the match earlier, suddenly found themselves under serious pressure. Guptill continued attacking and made it clear that Quetta were not ready to give up.
He also smashed Mohammad Musa for a six over the wicketkeeper’s head with a powerful upper-cut. Sarfraz joined the attack by hitting a boundary toward square leg.
Suddenly, the target that had looked far away was within reach.
Sarfraz Plays a Valuable Knock
While Guptill dominated the late stages, Sarfraz Ahmed played an important role throughout the partnership.
The Quetta captain came to the middle despite his finger injury and gave Guptill the support he needed. Rather than trying to dominate every ball, Sarfraz kept rotating the strike and punished loose deliveries.
His partnership with Guptill helped Quetta stay in the chase.
However, the stand ended in unfortunate fashion when the two batters were involved in a misunderstanding between the wickets. Sarfraz was run out after scoring a useful 29 from 25 balls.
His dismissal came with Quetta close to victory, but by then Guptill had already done much of the damage.
Guptill Takes Quetta to the Finish
Even after Sarfraz departed, Guptill stayed calm.
He struck Mohammad Amir through the covers during the penultimate over, but Karachi had little time left to make a comeback.
With just a few runs required in the final over, Quetta sent Dwaine Pretorius to the crease.
Pretorius wasted no time.
He struck two boundaries against Aamer Yamin and completed the chase with one ball still remaining.
Quetta finished on 168 for six in 19.5 overs and secured a four-wicket victory. Guptill remained unbeaten on 86 from 56 balls and was clearly the star of the night.
A Brilliant Fightback from the Gladiators
The win was especially important for Quetta because they had entered the game in serious danger of elimination.
Before the match, both Quetta Gladiators and Karachi Kings were sitting near the bottom of the PSL standings. Quetta had managed only two wins from their previous seven matches, while Karachi had also struggled badly.
The Gladiators had already suffered several difficult defeats during the season. Their previous loss against Islamabad United had pushed them even closer to elimination.
Against Karachi, they once again looked close to losing before Guptill produced a special performance.
The victory improved their position, but it did not completely solve their playoff problem.
Quetta still needed to win their remaining two matches and also required Peshawar Zalmi to drop points. That meant their qualification hopes depended not only on their own results but also on what happened in other matches.
Read Also: check
