In case you missed it. Pakistan Super League: Match Day 2
Karachi vs Quetta
Karachi Kings decision to bat first proved right for the team, they raised 149 runs and on the other hand Quetta fell short of 19 and lost the match. The jaw-dropping bowling from both the sides was the distinctive feature of the match. Firstly, the canny bowling of Shane Watson bamboozled the Kings, in return the Kings unleashed their cannons. Captain Imad Wasim led the strike followed by Tymal Mills and Muhammad Amir. They mixture of fast and spin with pace variations left the opponent completely bewildered.
Collin Ingram’s 41 of 21 balls helped Karachi reached to a total of 149. Ingram came I action after Babar’s dismissal, partnering with Bopara for 48 runs in just 4.3 overs. Quetta’s bowling once looked completely out of touch when Rahat Ali and Anwar Ali were being smashed around the stadium. However, the batting debacle was vivid at both the sides: Gladiators were once 15-3 and on the other and Kings’ lower middle & lower order couldn’t give the finishing touch, and lost 6 wickets just for 13 runs. However, Umar Amin stood as a gladiator for his team, he scored a sedate 31 and consistently tried to build partnerships.One of the major highlights of the day was Shahid Afridi’s amazing catch to dismiss Amin, effectively deciding the fate of the match.
Lahore Qalandars vs Multan Sultans
Qalandars began another season with a loss, this time to new-entrants Multan Sultans by 43 runs.
Waqar Younis’ tweet beautifully summarizes the Multan Sultan’s innings, where Shoaib Malik and Kumar Sangakarra proved their age to be just a number.
Old is Gold….
Well done @KumarSanga2 and @realshoaibmalik Love the way you two run between the wickets.Great lesson for young ones to learn. #PSL2018 #SultansVsQalandars— waqar younis (@waqyounis99) February 23, 2018
But the running wasn’t the only big highlight, there were plenty of big hits by both veterans. Apart from starling spells of Mustafiz and Yasir, Lahore’s bowling and fielding didn’t work out for them. Sultan’s top order’s consistent rotation of strike never formed any type of pressure on their side that’s the reason that their opening stand lasted for more than 80 runs. Then Shoaib Malik made full use of the platform built and blasted all over.
Sultans took a roaring start with the bowl too, with Irfan and Sohail taking bowling tight lines. The initially tried to keep the run rate low which built the pressure on Qalandars which resulted in the wicket of Narine in the 4th over (Narine’s opening was a big enough surprise anyway). Lahore wasn’t able to form a solid partnership despite of the solid batting of Fakhar Zaman, who stood and continuously tried to rotate the strike with his fearless approach. Lahore’s ultra-aggressive approach again led them to the bottom of the ranking table. McCullum, Akhtar, Umar all got trapped for their senseless hitting. Sultan’s planning was vivid, they initially tried to contain and after building pressure they began to strike. Imran Tahirand Irfan struck at crucial moments to take Sultans on top.
At the moment when Lahore had to score 48 of last 5 overs with 6 wickets in hand, there was a hope but then came the hat trick of Junaid Khan, and the match was summed up. As usual the spectators didn’t get to see the celebration of “RanaSb” and his grumpy face summed up what happened with Qalandars. Qalandar’s performance has only rarely made him smile.
FUN FACTS
- Team batting 1st ,wins (Karachi and Multan)
- Main runs came from the top order
- Losing sides had one strong batsman (Umar Amin and Fakhar Zaman)
- Oldies and players who were out of international team proved their worth
: Imad, Ahmad, Umar Amin, Junaid Khan, Tymal Mills
: Shoaib Malik, Sangakara, Afridi, M. Irfan
