KARACHI: Karachi Kings defeated Lahore Qalandars by three wickets in a last-ball drama in the 26th match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 9 on Saturday.
The thrilling victory put Karachi Kings in contention for the playoffs, as they moved just one point behind Quetta Gladiators and Islamabad United, who are fourth and third, respectively.
With three runs needed from the penultimate delivery, seasoned Shoaib Malik showed steel nerves and smacked Zaman Khan for a boundary.
The home team got off to a flying start in the pursuit, thanks to a quickfire opening stand of 59 runs between James Vince and Tim Seifert.
The astonishing stand ended in the seventh over, when Tayyab Abbas caught Vince behind on 42. His 27-ball knock included six boundaries and a six.
Shan Masood, the skipper of the Karachi Kings, then joined Seifert to form an anchoring 40-run partnership before stepping off in the 12th over.
Masood batted 16 balls and hit three boundaries to score a 24.
The Kings then lost two more wickets, Kieron Pollard (3) and Seifert (33) in short succession, dropping to 113/4 in 14.2 overs.
But Irfan and Malik kept the hosts in the game with a smart combination that saw them score 52 runs for the fifth wicket off only 25 deliveries before the former was dismissed in the last over following a match-defining knock.
Irfan struck a fast 35 off 16 deliveries, including six boundaries.
But Malik persevered and used his extensive expertise to lead Karachi Kings to a nail-biting win.
He had an undefeated 27 off 17 deliveries, including four boundaries.
Tayyab Abbas led the Lahore Qalandars’ bowling assault with 2/23, while Sikandar Raza, Zaman, and Shaheen Shah Afridi each struck out one batsman.
Put into bat first, the Qalandars, who are already out of the playoffs, scored a respectable total thanks to an anchoring second-wicket combination.
The visitors, on the other hand, made a surprising start to their innings, losing opener Tahir Baig in the third over with only 16 runs on the board.
Following the early stumble, Fakhar joined Abdullah in the center, and they worked together to spark an incredible rebound for the Qalandars.
The duo scored 70 runs for the second wicket at a rapid pace.
Fakhar Zaman was the stand’s main aggressor, scoring a half-century in 32 deliveries.
The left-handed batter’s valiant knock came to an agonizing end when Muhammad Irfan Khan delivered a direct hit in the 11th over.
He scored 54 runs from 35 deliveries, including five boundaries and two sixes.
Following Fakhar’s departure, Abdullah took leadership of the Lahore Qalandars’ batting expedition, shifting gears and reaching his half-century in 36 deliveries.
He had a brief alliance with Shai Hope (9) before dying in the 17th over.
Abdullah Shafique remained the Qalandars’ leading scorer, scoring 55 off 39 balls, including five boundaries and a six.
Later, Sikandar Raza and David Wiese boosted Lahore Qalandars’ score with a quickfire 46-run partnership.
Raza struck 22 from 16 deliveries, while Wiese hit three sixes on his way to a nine-ball 24.
Zahid Mahmood led the Karachi Kings‘ bowling attack with two wickets, while Blessing Muzarabani and Anwar Ali took one each.
Maria Ghanchi