Quetta thump Karachi to seal playoff spot

SHARJAH: Elliott picked up his second consecutive Man-of-the-Match award, helping Quetta Gladiators become the first team to seal a spot in PSL playoffs following their five-wicket win against Karachi Kings here on Saturday.

Elliott followed up his 3 for 25 against Islamabad United on Thursday with a career-best 4 for 15, carving through Karachi’s top order and restricting the team to a below-par 126 for 9.

Karachi captain Shoaib Malik top-scored with 45, but nobody else made more than 23, as Elliott struck at regular intervals to thwart any momentum Karachi hoped of building. Anwar Ali, Zulfiqar Babar, Aizaz Cheema and Mohammad Nabi snared a scalp apiece, as Quetta were left needing just over six an over in their chase.

Ahmed Shehzad ensured Quetta aced the small chase without any major worry, as his 27-ball 41 guided the team home inside 19 overs.

Karachi kept striking blows at various points, but did not have enough left to defend with, as handy knocks from Kevin Pietersen (26) and Sarfraz Ahmed (29) lifted Quetta to their fifth win of the season.

Earlier on Friday night, Peshawar Zalmi overpowered Islamabad United by seven wickets. Tamim Iqbal smoked six fours and three sixes during his 80-run blast.

Victory also meant that Peshawar took top spot in the table after five games, leaving Islamabad rooted near the bottom at fourth.

Set 153 for victory, Peshawar lost Mohammad Hafeez early after a brisk start, but Tamim almost single-handedly kept the runs flowing, blasting six fours and three sixes during his knock. Two more quick wickets, of Jim Allenby and Kamran Akmal, gave Islamabad a glimmer, but Shahid Yousuf quickly dashed those hopes by slamming a 19-ball 27 and combining with Tamim for a fourth-wicket association which yielded 60 runs, as Peshawar got home with nine balls to spare.

Islamabad’s 152 for 6 had been built on the back of a bright half-century from Khalid Latif, who smoked four sixes during a 41-ball 59. Latif received ample support from Misbah-ul-Haq during a 57-run stand, but the dismissal of Misbah halted Islamabad’s charge, as the team struggled to accelerate at the death. Shaun Tait (1 for 18), Mohammad Asghar (2 for 25) and Wahab Riaz (2 for 24) all produced economical spells to ensure that Peshawar’s target was a reachable one.

Score Board

Karachi Kings won toss

Karachi Kings

Nauman Anwar b Anwar      6

*Shoaib Malik c Ahmed b Nabi        45

J M Vince b Elliott      23

Shakib Al Hasan c Aizaz b Elliott      10

R S Bopara c & b Elliott        14

Sohail Tanvir c Nawaz b Elliott        8

†Mushfiqur Rahim c & b Aizaz         6

Imad Wasim run out  2

Usama Mir b Zulfiqar 0

Sohail Khan not out   7

Mir Hamza not out    0

Extras (lb 4, w 1)     5

Total (9 wickets; 20 overs)  126

Fall: 1-16, 2-63, 3-86, 4-97, 5-111, 6-111, 7-113, 8-118, 9-120

Bowling: Anwar 2-0-15-1; Zulfiqar 4-0-29-1; Aizaz 3-0-22-1; Nawaz (3) 4-0-24-0 (1w); Elliott 4-0-15-4; Nabi 3-0-17-1

Quetta Gladiators

L J Wright c Mir b Imad       11

Ahmed Shehzad b Usama    41

K P Pietersen c Sohail b Usama       26

*†Sarfraz Ahmed not out     29

G D Elliott lbw b Shakib        5

M Nawaz (3) run out 6

Anwar Ali not out      5

Extras (lb 3, w 1)     4

Total (5 wickets; 18.5 overs)         127

Did not bat: M Nabi, Zulfiqar Babar, Akbar-ur-Rehman, Aizaz Cheema

Fall: 1-33, 2-66, 3-95, 4-103, 5-117

Bowling: Sohail 4-0-28-0 (1w); Sohail 1.5-0-11-0; Shakib 4-0-34-1; Imad 2-0-10-1; Usama 4-0-27-2; Bopara 3-0-14-0

Result: Quetta Gladiators won by 5 wickets

Points: Quetta Gladiators 2, Karachi Kings 0

Man of the Match: G D Elliott (Quetta Gladiators)

Umpires: Rashid Riaz and Shozab Raza. TV umpire: Aleem Dar. Match referee: M Anees