Watson, KP guide Quetta to thumping win

By Our Correspondent

March 10, 2018

DUBAI: The star duo of Quetta Gladiators — Shane Watson and Kevin Pietersen — propelled them to the second spot on the leader-board with a record-breaking 67-run triumph over Karachi Kings in a HBL Pakistan Super League mismatch here at the Dubai International Stadium on Thursday night.

Watson hammered 90*, the highest individual score of PSL 3, and Pietersen belted 52 off 34 balls to guide Quetta to 180. Later, a disciplined bowling performance and a series of unforced errors by Karachi, allowed Quetta to win by 67 runs, the biggest win in terms of runs in the history of the PSL.

The Gladiators capitalised on the momentum that swung their way when 19-year-old Hassan Khan hit a six off the penultimate ball of their match against Multan Sultans in Dubai the other day.

They were provided with a good start by Watson and Asad Shafiq (16 off 16 balls) but it was only when KP joined Watson that Quetta’s innings really took off. Watson hit 7 sixes and 5 fours in his 58-ball 90 while KP hit a six and 7 fours.

Shahid Afridi and Imad Wasim were off colour, while Imran Khan and David Wiese bore the brunt of the punishment Pietersen and Watson dished out.

Chasing a big total, Karachi experimented by sending Afridi to open the batting with Joe Denly, in the process reminding everyone why he hasn’t been opening the batting for the last decade or so. He looked particularly wobbly, and was dismissed for 1 off 5 balls. The rest of the Karachi top order was no better, as Mohammad Nawaz bossed proceedings in the first Powerplay with an excellent spell. By 10 overs, Karachi were 55 for 5, and the game was already over, with both sides going through the motions for the last hour or so. Before long, Quetta had clinched a big win, boosting their net run rate and sending a message to the rest of the league.

Four of Karachi’s top five batsmen fell for a combined six runs, with Denly, Afridi, Ingram and Bopara scoring 1, 1, 5 and 0 respectively.

Thursday was a good day to shut up everyone who wrote Quetta off this year due to their lack of star power. With a lineup including two of the biggest names of this generation, it was only a matter of time before someone found themselves on the wrong end of a Quetta hammering. In the twilight of their careers, Pietersen and Watson tore into Karachi with an enthralling partnership, walloping 86 runs in 58 balls. Crucially, that was in the middle overs, a time when most teams’ scoring rates go down. That meant Quetta’s innings never really decelerated, resulting in an imposing total. Watson even returned for a stellar bowling spell, conceding 18 runs in three overs and taking the wicket of Babar Azam.

Watson’s unbeaten 90 superseded Sohaib Maqsood’s 85 that until today had been the highest individual score in PSL 3. Moreover, Quetta’s 67-run win is the biggest in terms of runs in the history of the league. At one stage, Quetta looked like they were on course to beat Multan Sultans’ 183 and claim the highest team total this year too, before a late part-rally by Karachi’s bowlers deprived them of that record.

Quetta surge to second in the table after Thursday’s big win, their eight points behind only Multan Sultans, who have nine. Karachi, with seven points, drop down to fourth. —with inputs from agencies

Karachi Kings won toss

Quetta Gladiators

Asad Shafiq lbw b Shahid 16

S R Watson not out 90

K P Pietersen c Bopara b Usman 52

R R Rossouw c Denly b Amir 13

Anwar Ali c Babar b Irfan 6

Rameez Raja(2) not out 1

Extras (lb 1, w 1) 2

Total (4 wickets; 20 Overs) 180

Did not bat: *†Sarfraz Ahmed, M Nawaz, Hasan Khan, B Laughlin, Rahat Ali

Fall: 1-60, 2-146, 3-161, 4-178