Qalandars thump Gladiators by 79 runs

RAWALPINDI: Lahore Qalandars bundled out Quetta Gladiators for 140 after Fakhar Zaman’s 67 and Sam Billings’s 19-ball fifty propelled them to 219 in the fourth game of the PSL 10 on Sunday.

Chasing 220, Gladiators’ chase ended in 16.2 overs as the Qalandars won the game by 79 runs.

The Saud Shakeel-led side was off to a horrid start as their captain was dismissed by Qalandars’ captain Shaheen Afridi in the very first over of their inning.

Hasan Nawaz then joined his opening partner Finn Allen, however, he fell to Asif Afridi after scoring just one run in the second over.

Allen was dismissed for a duck by Shaheen Afridi in the following over.

Kusal Mendis then attempted to take on the chase and made 28 off 14 deliveries. He was involved with Rilee Rossouw in a 45-run partnership to take the Gladiators to 54.

Mendis fell to Haris Rauf in the sixth over of their inning, leaving the side struggling at 54/4 in 5.2 overs.

Rossouw departed after scoring 44 off just 19 deliveries while Shoaib Malik made 14 runs.

Faheem Ashraf was the last to be dismissed after scoring 21 runs as Lahore Qalandars secured their first victory in the ongoing PSL 10.

Earlier, Fakhar Zaman scored 67, followed by Sam Billings’s fiery fifty, which helped Lahore Qalandars post 219 on the scoreboard in the fourth game of the PSL 10.

For Qalandars, Rishad Hossain picked up three wickets while Shaheen Afridi, Asif Afridi and Sikandar Raza took two wickets each.

Qalandars lost their opening batter, Mohammad Naeem, early in the inning. His opening partner, Fakhar Zaman, was joined by Abdullah Shafique, and the two took the side to 73 in 7.4 overs.

Shafique was dismissed after scoring 37 off 21 balls, bringing Daryl Mitchell to the crease, with the scoreboard showing 73/2 in 7.5 overs.

Fakhar Zaman and Mitchell then stitched an 80-run partnership to put Lahore Qalandars in a strong position in the PSL 10 game against Quetta Gladiators.

Daryl Mitchell fell after scoring 37 runs in the 15th over while Fakhar Zaman was dismissed in the very next over.

The left-handed batter scored 67 runs off 39 balls, with the help of three sixes and seven fours.

Sam Billings then took charge and smashed an unbeaten 50 off just 19 balls to help Qalandars post 219 on the scoreboard over the loss of six wickets.

In his fiery inning, he smashed four sixes and as many fours.

Playing XIs

Quetta Gladiators: Saud Shakeel (c), Finn Allen, Hassan Nawaz, Kusal Mendis (wk), Rilee Rossouw, Shoaib Malik, Faheem Ashraf, Akeal Hosain, Mohammad Amir, Abrar Ahmed and Usman Tariq.

Lahore Qalandars: Fakhar Zaman, Muhammad Naeem, Abdullah Shafique, Daryl Mitchell, Sam Billings (wk), Sikandar Raza, Shaheen Afridi (c), Jahandad Khan, Rishad Hossain, Haris Rauf and Asif Afridi.

Lahore Qalandars were off to a dismal start in their campaign as they were convincingly defeated by Islamabad United in the PSL 10 opener on Friday.

The defending champions chased down the target of 140 with ease, losing only two wickets and finishing the game with 14 balls to spare.

Quetta Gladiators have won their first game, having thrashed Peshawar Zalmi by 80 runs at the same venue a day earlier.

Chasing a mammoth 217, Peshawar Zalmi, led by Babar Azam, bundled out for 136 as they fell short by 80 runs.

The 10th edition of the Pakistan Super League kicked off with a star-studded opening ceremony on April 11.

The PSL 10 will run from April 11 to May 18, consisting of 34 matches from April 11 to May 18, with Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium hosting 13 matches, including the two Eliminators and the final.

Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium will host 11 matches, including the first Qualifier on May 13, while Karachi’s National Bank Stadium and Multan Cricket Stadium will each host five matches.