PSL 2023: Collective effort powers Qalandars to second successive final

March 17

Clinical Qalandars outplay Zalmi to reach second successive PSL final

A collective performance headlined a four-wicket win for the Lahore Qalandars in their Eliminator 2 fixture against Peshawar Zalmi on Friday (March 17). The result means that the final will be a replay of last season with Multan Sultans already having booked their spot in the summit clash.

Having won a good toss, Peshawar skipper Babar Azam opted to bat due to two reasons. The first was obviously his side's efforts with the ball in Eliminator 1 where they made good use of the dry Gaddafi Stadium surface. Secondly, neither had Lahore won a game chasing this season, nor had any side chased successfully at this venue.

Although Saim Ayub fell early to Zaman Khan, Babar started with a flurry, as did Mohammad Haris who batted deep into the innings to account for roughly 50 percent of the team's runs. The duo produced a fine powerplay and kept it going in the middle overs too, taking the aggressive route against Rashid Khan with aplomb.

However, much like Thursday (March 16), Zalmi's innings lost steam yet again in the second half after their skipper's dismissal. The older ball did stick a bit on the surface and the defending champions' bowling attack roared back in the back end. Rashid started the slide by removing Babar and Tom Kohler-Cadmore in the same over, thereby putting the brakes on the scoring rate.

Even as the wickets kept tumbling, Haris kept motoring along and was helped by a useful cameo by Bhanuka Rajapaksa in the end overs as the duo pushed the score past the 170-run mark. It was a competitive score although Zalmi were on course for at least 10-15 more with the foundation they had.

The run chase was supposed to be tricky and it got really messy from the get-go as the in-form Fakhar Zaman perished to an unusually poor shot. Qalandars then took a strategic punt to promote Ahsan Bhatti, who was playing his first game of the season, to No.3 as he was a left-hander and the idea was to get some quick runs in the powerplay.

While Bhatti didn't last long, he did create some tempo while he was there, even as Mirza Tahir Baig anchored the innings from the other end. The latter found good support from most batters, notably Sikandar Raza and Sam Billings, as Lahore constantly stayed above the asking rate. They did lose a few wickets towards the end but Baig ensured that the result wasn't in doubt.

Brief scores: Peshawar Zalmi 171/5 in 20 overs (Babar Azam 42, Mohammad Haris 85, Zaman Khan 2-20) lost to Lahore Qalandars 176/6 in 18.5 overs (Mirza Tahir Baig 54, Sam Billings 28, Azmatullah Omarzai 2-30) by four wickets

March 16

Irshad, Jamal propel Peshawar into Eliminator 2

A masterclass in death bowling from the youngster duo of Salman Irshad and Aamer Jamal highlighted a comeback-from-behind 12-run win for Peshawar Zalmi against Islamabad United in Eliminator 1 of the 2023 Pakistan Super League on Thursday (March 16).

The Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore is known for having good batting surfaces but it's also increasingly difficult to score against the older, softer ball. More so when the pitch is as dry as it was in this game. As a result, both sides got off to blistering powerplays, Peshawar more so as they racked up 77 in the first six overs with skipper Babar Azam in particular looking in fine touch.

Mohammad Haris played a neat cameo as well but once the two of them fell, Peshawar's innings tapered off. Even the usually reliable Tom Kohler-Cadmore struggled a lot at the back end. Only 46 runs came off the remaining 42 balls after Babar's dismissal and Peshawar also lost five wickets in the process.

Islamabad did lose Rahmanullah Gurbaz very early in the chase but Alex Hales and Sohaib Maqsood produced cracking fifties to put the side well on course to a comfortable run chase. At 128/1 after 14 overs, Islamabad needed just a shade of 9 runs-per-over in the remaining six overs to get across the line.

That's when the tables turned. Jamal started the collapse by getting rid of Maqsood while Irshad nipped out the dangerous Azam Khan in the very next over. It was Jamal's turn to strike next and it was the massive wicket of Hales to completely bring Peshawar into the game.

Much like the first innings, the older ball was difficult to score off, especially when bowled on a hard length with pace variations. Irshad and Jamal did that to perfection, while also executing the toe-crushing yorkers with precision. From nowhere, Islamabad found the game slipping away from their hands.

Earlier in the game, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Hasan Ali had also demonstrated fine skills at the death along with Faheem Ashraf. The trio's efforts meant that Peshawar, who were placed pretty at 137/2 in the 14th over, could only muster 183 - a score that eventually proved more than enough.

Brief scores: Peshawar Zalmi 183/8 in 20 overs (Babar Azam 64, Haris 34, Shadab 2/40) beat Islamabad United 171/6 (Maqsood 60, Hales 57, Irshad 2/18, Jamal 2/36) by 12 runs.

March 15

Ruthless Multan Sultans reach third successive final

Multan Sultans came up with a flawless performance to hammer Lahore Qalandars en route to their third successive PSL final. After putting up 160 on the board in the first qualifier, Multan defended it with ease by bowling out Lahore for just 76 inside 15 overs.

Multan got off to a steady start in the powerplay after Mohammad Rizwan fetched two boundaries in the first over. A watchful Usman Khan broke loose in the fifth over by hammering three boundaries as Multan made 46 in the first six overs, a welcome change to what we have been witnessing in Rawalpindi in the league stage. But with the runs drying up, a frustrated Usman chopped one back onto his stumps, following which Lahore seized control.

Rilee Rossouw made only 13 after facing 12 deliveries and a well set Rizwan was bowled by a Rashid Khan googly for 33. After 15 overs, Multan only had 97 on the board and were badly in need of a big finish. Kieron Pollard, renowned for being a big-match player in the T20 circuit, delivered at the ideal juncture as he joined forces with Tim David at the death to add some vital runs.

Pollard hit Shaheen Afridi for a six and followed it up with another big one off Haris Rauf to inject momentum. Quite stunningly, he took on Shaheen again in the penultimate over of the innings to smash him for three sixes that also brought up his fifty. While Haris bowled an excellent final over, conceding just six, Multan still had a fighting 160 on the board.

 That total already appeared daunting with the Lahore top-three failing to reach double digits. Sheldon Cottrell removed Mirza Baig and Abdullah Shafique in a single over before Anwar Ali castled Fakhar Zaman to stun the home side. 19/3 quickly became 28/4 when Shaheen's promotion failed to yield dividends this time.

Things became worse by the halfway mark as Pollard came into the attack and got the big fish Sikandar Raza after Hussain Talat got run out in the same over. After ten overs, Lahore were 44/6 and needed a miracle to script a crazy turnaround. That miracle never arrived on expected lines as Usama Mir joined the party to bag two wickets as Lahore got bowled out for a mere 76 with 33 balls still left in the innings. While Multan sealed their spot in the final, Lahore will get another crack at making it as they now await the winner of the first eliminator.

Brief scores: Multan Sultans 160/5 in 20 overs (Kieron Pollard 57, Mohammad Rizwan 33; Haris Rauf 3/34) beat Lahore Qalandars 76 in 14.3 overs (Sheldon Cottrell 3/20, Usama Mir 2/12) by 84 runs

March 12

Karachi Kings avoid wooden spoon with comprehensive win

Karachi Kings ended a disappointing PSL 2023 campaign on a consolatory note as they registered a comprehensive 86-run win over table-toppers Lahore Qalandars in an inconsequential game to avoid the wooden spoon. Having posted a commanding 196/7, riding on a collective batting effort, the Kings then bowled Qalandars out for 110 as they finished with six points and a positive NRR that reduced Quetta Gladiators to the bottom spot.

Fakhar Zaman, fresh off a 57-ball 115, started off with a four and a six off Imad Wasim in the opening over of the chase. But his outing was cut short by Mohammad Umar in the third over while Akif Javed accounted for Abdullah Shafique and then had Kamran Ghulam bowled to leave the Qalandars in early trouble. Having managed only 31 for 3 in the powerplay, the Qalandars would have hoped for the middle order to step up and give a good account of themselves keeping in mind the playoffs assignments. But regular wickets meant that they were well behind the eight ball.

James Fuller ensured a short stay for Sam Billings who was dismissed in the ninth over for a 13-ball 11. Wasim then bagged his second by sending David Wiese back cheaply and Imran Tahir added to Qalandars' woes with the wickets of Shane Dadswell and Hussain Talat in the 13th over to reduce them to 74/7. By the time the 15th over was completed, the required rate went beyond 23. They were eventually bowled out in the 19th over, with Mohammad Umar becoming the fourth bowler in the innings to finish with two wickets.

Haider Ali fell to Dilbar Hussain after hitting two fours in the opening over but the attack did not cease from the Kings as Muhammad Akhlaq and Tayyab Tahir both finished with three fours each and a six apiece in the powerplay to power their side to 68/1 in six overs. They added 70 off only 39 balls but the partnership came to an end in the eighth over when Hussain Talat dismissed Tahir for a 23-ball 40 and also picked up the wicket of Qasim Akram in the same over. Akhlaq, who was on 27 off 16 at the time of Tahir's dismissal, took over the aggressor's role as he struck a six off Rashid Khan followed by a couple of boundaries en route to a 34-ball fifty. But Haris Rauf ended his stay in the 13th over, leaving the Kings at 117/4.

The wickets did not hamper Kings' momentum as Imad Wasim and Ben Cutting put on a brisk 52-run stand to power their progress. Wasim, who struck six fours in his 31-ball 45, got out to Zaman Khan in the 18th over. Cutting then hit a four and two sixes off Rauf in the penultimate over before getting out for a 14-ball 33, which included 2 fours and three maximums. Some useful runs from Fuller helped the Kings finish close to the 200 mark, with 60 runs coming off the last five overs.

Brief scores: Karachi Kings 196/7 in 20 overs (Muhammad Akhlaq 51, Imad Wasim 45; Hussain Talat 2-24) beat Lahore Qalandars 110 in 18.5 overs (Hussain Talat 25; Akif Javed 2-8, Mohammad Umar 2-20) by 86 runs.

Mohammad Haris sizzles as Zalmi brush aside United

In the last six of the 10 matches played at the Pindi Club Ground in Rawalpindi, teams batting first had posted in excess of 200, including a record-breaking 262 by Multan Sultans in the previous game here. And there were some mega chases too, including the highest successful chase when Multan managed to gun down a target of 244. But for the first time in ages, a team batting first in Rawalpindi finished less than 200 as Zalmi managed 179/8 after being asked to bat by Islamabad United. The total, however, proved just about sufficient as they bowled United out for 166 despite a late fight from Faheem Ashraf (38 off 13).

The outcome of the game meant that United lost out on finishing at the second spot and will face Zalmi again in the Eliminator. Lahore Qalandars and Multan Sultans, having finished first and second respectively, will have two shots at qualifying for the final.

Hassan Nawaz was dismissed for a duck by Khurram Shahzad in the opening over of the chase and while Sohaib Maqsood fell to Aamer Jamal after striking two fours and a six in his 15 off 6. After a slow start, Alex Hales picked up pace with three boundaries but he fell to Jamal in the sixth over as United slipped to 32/3. With Colin Munro also being dismissed a short while later, the onus was on Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Shadab Khan to lead the team's recovery.

Shadab, who was the aggressor in the partnership, struck two fours and as many sixes in his knock of 25 before Sufiyan Muqeem ended the 35-run fifth wicket stand by dismissing the United skipper. Zalmi made another key strike as James Neesham dismissed Gurbaz for 33, leaving United needing 69 off the last five overs. Asif Ali's wicket off Muqeem's bowling in the very next over was a further blow for United, and Muqeem added to his tally by also dismissing Hasan to finish with 3 for 37. Faheem kept the fight going with some lusty blows, bringing it down to 21 off the last over. Faheem struck a six off Shahzad off the second ball of the last over but two accurate yorkers from the bowler ended United's innings as he finished with 3-13.

Earlier, Saim Ayub was dismissed early but Mohammad Haris (79 off 39) and Bhanuka Rajapaksa (41 off 25) put on a century partnership in less than 10 overs to power Zalmi's belligerent start. Haris struck seven fours and five sixes during his stay while Rajapaksa hit four boundaries and a couple of maximums to provide a superb platform for Zalmi. However, from 116/1 they slipped to 139/5 as Shadab bagged the wickets of the set batters.

Tom Kohler-Cadmore, captaining Zalmi in this game, struck a six and a four before getting out to Faheem while Neesham was the first of three scalps for Hasan Ali. Zalmi continued to lose wickets regularly and there was a period where they went without a boundary for 23 balls. Only 27 runs came in the last five overs as they finished with less than 180 on a track which was still favouring the batters like the previous games, and yet managed to defend it.

Brief scores: Peshawar Zalmi 179/8 in 20 overs (Mohammad Haris 79, Bhanuka Rajapaksa 41; Hasan Ali 3-39) beat Islamabad United 166 in 19.4 overs (Faheem Ashraf 38, Rahmanullah Gurbaz 33; Khurram Shahzad 3-13, Sufiyan Muqeem 3-37) by 13 runs.

March 11

Records galore as Multan clinch another high-scoring thriller

Less than 24 hours after breaking the record for the highest run-chase in PSL history, Multan Sultans managed to post the highest total ever in the history of the tournament as they smashed 262/3 in another high-scoring thriller they managed to clinch by just nine runs.

In what has been the theme over the last few games in Rawalpindi, both sides went berserk right from the word go and this game alone witnessed a grand total of 515 runs being scored in just 40 overs. Not often do teams end up scoring 253 runs in a T20 game, let alone lose that contest. Unfortunately, Quetta Gladiators ended up short and were knocked out of contention for a spot in the final four. Jason Roy, who had very recently smashed 145 off just 63 deliveries, hit a six but was out next ball. Martin Guptill went on a six-hitting spree to race to 31 off just 11 balls but Ihsanullah managed to end his stay after another six that saw the New Zealand veteran depart for 37.

Abbas Afridi ensured Mohammad Hafeez was dismissed cheaply but Quetta still ended up scoring 75 in the powerplay. Omair Yousuf took on the responsibility on the night with Iftikhar Ahmed taking some time to get going. Yousuf took on Ihsanullah for a hat-trick of boundaries and got to his fifty off just 26 balls and Iftikhar at the other end finally found his mojo to smash two sixes and a four in the space of just four deliveries to put the chase back on track. The carnage saw Iftikhar also bring up a fifty off 28 deliveries but Abbas struck at the right time to put an end to the partnership.

With Ihsanullah removing the well-set Yousuf in the very next over, Multan took charge of the contest again. Abbas, who had picked up four wickets the previous night, ended up picking a five-fer this time. However, the likes of Umar Akmal, Mohammad Nawaz, Qais Ahmed and Naveen-ul-Haq kept striking back with some lusty blows. 42 runs from 12 balls was always going to be a very tough task for the tail but they still put up a brave show, falling short just by 9 runs eventually.

Earlier in the evening, the venue was lit up by Usman Khan, who managed to score the fastest hundred in PSL history. Quite ironically, he made only 4 from his first seven deliveries before taking on Aimal Khan for four boundaries in a single over. That got him going as he ripped apart the bowling attack to bring up a 22-ball fifty as Multan raced to 91 in the powerplay without losing a wicket.

In a brutal display of power-hitting Usman continued to clear the ropes and took Qais apart for 27 runs in an over that also saw him bring up the century. Amidst this carnage, Mohammad Rizwan's half-century pretty much went unnoticed. The most striking feature of this partnership was the fact that they ended up scoring a whopping 156 in just the first ten overs. Racing to 120 off just 42, Usman was then stumped immediately by Nawaz. While Rilee Rossouw didn't exactly set the stage on fire this time around, Tim David cleared the ropes four times in the death to help Multan shatter records and post 262 on the board, a total that they managed to defend only by a fine margin.

Brief scores: Multan Sultans 262/3 in 20 overs (Usman Khan 120, Mohammad Rizwan 55) beat Quetta Gladiators 253/8 in 20 overs (Omair Yousuf 67, Iftikhar Ahmed 53; Abbas Afridi 5/47) by9 runs

March 10

Rossouw stuns Zalmi as Sultans qualify for playoffs

Multan Sultans qualified for the playoffs in style, chasing a daunting 243-run target in what turned out to be the highest ever run-chase in the history of PSL. For Peshawar Zalmi who lost by four wickets, it was the second time in two games that they couldn't defend a total of 240 and above.

The run-chase was built around Rilee Rossouw's scintillating 41-ball hundred, the fastest in PSL. Even though Multans lost Mohammad Rizwan and Shan Masood inside the PowerPlay, Rossouw kept playing his shots and kept the target within reach. Kieron Pollard chimed in too and sent Peshawar bowlers on a leather hunt in the middle overs. As many as 56 runs came in the next three overs after the PowerPlay as Pollard smashed a 22-ball fifty. The duo added quick-fire 99 runs for the third wicket before Pollard holed out against Wahab Riaz in the deep. Tim David fell soon after but Rossouw kept going as Peshawar suffered in the absence of captain Babar Azam, who was off the field with temperature.

With 61 needed off the last five, Rossouw picked 20 runs off Azmatullah Omarzai to ease the equation. He was out to the same bowler in the 19th over, caught at long-on, but timely sixes from Usama Mir and Anwar Ali in the same over helped Multan chase it down with five balls to spare.

Earlier, Peshawar openers Babar and Saim Ayub added 134 runs inside 12 overs, with the captain being the more aggressive of the two in his innings of 73 off 39. The duo matched each other shot for shot as Babar brought up a 24-ball fifty. The breakthrough arrived when Usama Mir had Ayub pull one straight to deep midwicket. Abbas Afridi nicked out Babar in the next over but cameos from Mohammad Haris (35 off 11) and Tom Kohler-Cadmore (38 off 18) ensured that Peshawar got to 242/6, thanks to 24 runs off the last over bowled by Anwar Ali, but it wasn't enough on the night.

Brief Scores: Peshawar Zalmi 242/6 (Babar 73; Abbas Afridi 4-39) lost to Multan Sultans 244/6 in 19.1 overs (Rossouw 121; Omarzai 2-62) by 4 wickets

March 9

Fakhar Zaman ton helps Qalandars to record win

Fakhar Zaman was on 2 when he was dropped by Asif Ali. He was once again dropped on 71 by Hasan Ali. And those two reprieves proved costly as Lahore Qalandars completed a double over Islamabad United this season with a 119-run win, the biggest margin in the history of Pakistan Super League.

Fakhar went on to hit 8 fours and 8 sixes, three of those boundaries coming in a Fazalhaq Farooqi over right after the first dropped chance, and that's what set him up for a big one. He got good support from Kamran Ghulam and then Sam Billings as the batters ran riot through the middle overs. Soon after his 50-ball century, Fakhar was adjudged lbw, only for a review to save him with the ball pitching millimeters outside leg-stump. Hasan Ali finally had him in the 18th over, for a well made 57-ball 115 but the damage was done by then. Qalandars set up a massive 227-run target.

United's chase never got going beyond the opening stand with Zaman Khan accounting for both openers - Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Alex Hales - inside the PowerPlay. Right after that, Rashid Khan took over and struck in his first over, getting Shadab Khan caught in the deep. He struck in his three successive overs, sending back Mubasir Khan (bowled by legbreak), Faheem Ashraf (lbw) and Asif Ali (bowled).

Islamabad batters had no option but to go for it and that meant risky shot-making, which on the night didn't pay off. Rashid finished with 4 for 21 as United were bowled out for only 107 in 15.1 overs. It was the first time in PSL that a batter had outscored the opposition.

Brief Scores: Lahore Qalandars 226/5 (Fakhar 115; Farooqi 3-40) beat Islamabad United 107 in 15.1 overs (Hales 18, Hasan Ali 18; Rashid 4-21) by 119 runs

March 8

Roy special headlines Rawalpindi carnage

The Pakistan Super League churned out another high-scoring thriller as Quetta Gladiators chased down 241 against Peshawar Zalmi in quite an extraordinary fashion. The carnage at Rawalpindi saw Quetta hit 30 fours and 10 sixes in an innings to record the highest-chase ever in PSL history. While Babar Azam dazzled in the first half, it was a Jason Roy show in the second half as the English opener hammered an unbeaten 145 as Quetta got home with 10 balls to spare!

Babar set the tone very early in the innings by smashing three fours off Aimal Khan in just the second over. While Saim Ayub looked a little tentative, Babar had no such problems as he continued to find the boundary with the field restrictions in place. In no time, Babar raced to 37 in the powerplay but it was Ayub who raced to a fifty out of nowhere with successive sixes. At the halfway stage, Peshawar had 110 on the board with the bowling side badly chasing a wicket to break the momentum.

That wicket proved to be elusive for a while as both the batters continued to make merry, adding over 150 for the first wicket. While both of them had an opportunity to register three figures, Dwaine Pretorius ended Ayub's hopes to pick up the first of the only four wickets to fall on the night. Babar continued his merry ways though and had Rovman Powell for company. The Pakistan skipper eventually got to his 8th T20 hundred and was dismissed only in the final over of the innings for 115.

On 9 out of 10 days, 240 would have been enough to guarantee victory in a T20 game. But in this year's edition, we have already seen teams making great use of the batting beauties on offer. It was no surprise that Roy and Martin Guptill already managed to wipe off 15 runs from the target in just the opening over. Roy then welcomed Mujeeb-ur-Rahman to the attack with a four and a six. Guptill took on Wahab Riaz for three fours in an over before losing his wicket to the same bowler and Peshawar failed an opportunity to send Roy to the pavilion in the powerplay when the keeper couldn't hold onto a catch.

At one stage in the PP, Roy smashed six fours and a six in the span of just nie deliveries as 88 were wiped off in just the powerplay. There was no respite for the bowlers as Roy's incredible hitting took Quetta to 137 after just ten overs. Quetta easily emerged favourites at that stage despite needing 10 an over. While Will Smeed contributed briefly, Hafeez followed suit and delivered a cameo of his own. Roy reached his ton off just 44 balls and showed no signs of slowing down.

When Quetta needed 60 from the final 30 deliveries, Hafeez found the boundary four times in a solitary over and that was followed by Roy smashing a hat-trick of boundaries off Wahab Riaz. 60 from 30 came down to 23 from 18 and from thereon, there was always going to be just one winner.

Brief scores: Peshawar Zalmi 240/2 in 20 overs (Babar Azam 115, Saim Ayub 74) lost to Quetta Gladiators 243/2 in 18.2 overs (Jason Roy 145*, Mohammad Hafeez 41*) by 8 wickets

March 7

Faheem Ashraf pulls off a heist for Islamabad United

Faheem's 26-ball 51* helped Islamabad United stun Multan Sultans by 2 wickets in a high-scoring affair and jump to the top of the table alongside Lahore Qalandars. Chasing 206, United needed 18 off the last over and Faheem rose to the occasion with three fours and six against Mohammad Ilyas, thus ticking off United's highest run-chase in PSL history.

United's performance also saw Colin Munro (40 off 21) and Shadab Khan (44 off 25) chip in with crucial contributions, especially after openers Alex Hales and Rahmanullah Gurbaz fell cheaply to Anwar Ali (3 for 33). Ihsanullah triggered another middle order collapse when United lost 3 for 21 but Faheem's steely nerves and a bit of indiscipline with the ball from Sultans helped the side finish on top.

Earlier in the evening, it was a Tim David show. Batting at No 4, David scored 60 off 27 (4 fours, 5 sixes) in an 80-run stand with Shan Masood, who was steady in his 75 off 50. But two tight overs towards the end bowled by Fazalhaq Farooqi and Mohammad Wasim Jr, which only went for 14 runs, helped pulled things back and even made a difference towards the end of the day.

Brief Scores: Multan Sultans 205/5 (David 60; Shadab 2-26) lost to Islamabad United 209/8 in 19.5 overs (Faheem 51*; Anwar Ali 3-33) by 2 wickets

Shaheen's all-round effort not enough for Lahore Qalandars

Figures of 4-31 and an innings of 36-ball 52 from Shaheen Afridi ended up on the losing side as Lahore Qalandars lost convincingly by 35 runs to Peshawar Zalmi. It was Lahore''s first defeat in six games. The result also saw Karachi Kings eliminated from the competition.

Opting to bat first, Zalmi were powered by their opener Saim Ayub who smashed 68 off 36. Babar Azam, at the other end, made a steady 50 off 41 as the two openers added 107. Rashid Khan broke the opening stand, getting Ayub to edge behind before getting Mohammad Haris next over, caught at short third man. The innings finished in a whimper though, with the final five wickets falling off seven deliveries, with three of them coming in the penultimate over bowled by Shaheen. But that Zalmi got to 207 all-out was down to Kohler-Cadmore who made 36 off 16, pasting 2 fours and 3 sixes.

Qalandars' chase was off to a horror start. They were 21/4 in the sixth over, with Wahab Riaz accounting for the two big wickets in Fakhar Zaman and Sam Billings. Then Hussain Talat (63 off 37) and Afridi (52 off 36) counterattacked, adding 114 runs in quick time but Riaz came back into the attack to account for Afridi and it was a quick slide from thereon. The last five wickets fell for only 10 runs as Qalandars were bowled out for 172 in the final over. Both Riaz and Arshad Iqbal finished with three-fers.

Brief Scores: Peshawar Zalmi 207 in 19.3 overs (Ayub 68; Afridi 4-31) beat Lahore Qalandars 172 in 19.4 overs (Talat 63, Afridi 52; Riaz 3-17, Iqbal 3-27) by 35 runs

March 6

Guptill special ends Quetta's losing streak

A special innings from Martin Guptill helped Quetta Gladiators end their five-match losing streak in the Pakistan Super League. Guptill stood tall despite failing to find support at the other end in the run chase of 165 against Karachi Kings as he remained unbeaten on 86 to seal victory in the final over on Monday (March 6).

The chase didn't get off to the greatest of starts for Quetta despite them fetching 10 runs in the opening over. Omair Yousuf was dismissed in the second over and Mohammad Nawaz followed him back to the pavilion in the fifth. By the end of the powerplay, Guptill had faced only 14 deliveries for his 17 and remained the key. However, the rest of the batters just couldn't survive long enough to stay at the crease alongside the New Zealand veteran.

Iftikhar Ahmed departed immediately after the powerplay and Tabraiz Shamsi also dismissed Najibullah Zadran, who was impressive just the previous day. While Umar Akmal survived the hat-trick ball, he perished anyway in the following over to James Fuller as Quetta were headed to a defeat at the halfway mark, having scored only 64 for the loss of five wickets. However, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Guptill stemmed the flow of wickets with a fruitful stand.

Guptill took on Muhammad Musa for a couple of boundaries and kept rotating the strike alongside Sarfaraz to guide Quetta to 97/5 after 15 overs. At that stage, the equation came down to 68 off 30 as one of the two batters had to come up with something special to stay in the chase. Guptill nailed the pull against Mohammad Amir for a six and then went absolutely ballistic in the following over bowled by Fuller. The right-hander first hit a six to bring up his fifty and followed it up with three fours and a six to totally take 24 runs from the over.

That over changed the complexion of the chase as the equation now came down to 33 off 18, which was very much gettable with momentum on their side. He added another six to his tally and hit a four in the penultimate over while also finding support from Sarfaraz to bring the equation down to 8 off 6. Even though Sarfaraz got run out in that final over and Karachi ensured Guptill wasn't on strike, they were in for a rude shock as Dwayne Pretorius hit a couple of boundaries to get the job done with just one ball to spare.

Earlier in the evening, Quetta made a dream start when Naseem Shah removed Matthew Wade for a golden duck in the first over. While Tayyab Tahir and Qasim Akram didn't tee off either, Karachi found a saviour in the form of Adam Rossington. He briefly steadied the ship alongside Shoaib Malik but the veteran couldn't force the pace beyond a point and fell for a 15-ball 13.

Rossington continued to make merry though at the other end even brought up a fifty. Alongside Rossington, Karachi were also aided by useful cameos from Imad Wasim and Aamer Yamin at the death. Following Rossington's departure for 69, Wasim ended up unbeaten on 30 off just 20 deliveries whereas Yamin cleared the ropes a couple of times in the last two overs to ensure the total went past 160.

Brief scores: Karachi Kings 164/6 in 20 overs (Adam Rossington 69, Imad Wasim 30*; Aimal Khan 2/26, Naseem Shah 2/31) lost to Quetta Gladiators 168/6 in 19.5 overs (Martin Guptill 86*, Sarfaraz Ahmed 29; Tabraiz Shamsi 2/20) by 4 wickets

March 5

Islamabad United qualify for the playoffs

A stunning rearguard effort from Umar Akmal and Najibullah Zadran went in vain for Quetta Gladiators as they ended up losing a thriller in Rawalpindi on Sunday (March 5) to Islamabad United. The loss was Quetta's fifth in a row as they continue to stay in the bottom whereas the victory propels Islamabad United into the playoffs.

Searching for a much-needed win, Quetta made a disastrous start losing their top order cheaply. Fazalhaq Farooqi dismissed the openers and skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed, batting at 3, was sent back by Faheem Ashraf. Iftikhar Ahmed was the next to go as Faheem added to his tally to reduce the opposition to 17/4. But just when it appeared that there would be no way for Quetta, Mohammad Nawaz stepped up alongside Najibullah Zadran.

At the halfway mark, Quetta had only 52 on the board before they turned on the heat. Najibullah went on a boundary-hitting spree to bring up fifty off just 28 balls to lead the stunning turnaround but what hurt Islamabad more was Akmal's cameo at the death. Akmal took charge after Nawaz's departure for 52 and hammered two sixes and a four off his first four deliveries. He ended up hammering three more sixes to finish unbeaten on 43 off just 14 balls as Quetta posted 179 on the board, with 127 of them coming in the final 10 overs.

With momentum on their side, they did strike early as Naseem Shah removed Rahmanullah Gurbaz for a duck. The likes of Alex Hales, Shadab Khan and Mubasir Khan didn't exactly set the stage on fire either as they combined to add only 25 runs. Despite that, Islamabad ended up scoring 77 in the powerplay. It was all down to one man as Colin Munro took charge and brutally ripped apart the Quetta bowling attack. He kept dealing in boundaries and brought up a fifty off just 24 balls and by the end of the 7th over, Islamabad were well and truly on top having made 96 runs already.

However, Nawaz's introduction brought another twist in the tale as he dismissed Munro first-ball for 63 to open the gates for his side to storm back into the contest. Not only did the boundaries dry up, Islamabad already lost half the side before the 10th over. Nawaz also sent back Asif Ali in his next over as the stunning turnaround put Quetta on course to ending their losing streak.

Azam Khan then showed tremendous composure alongside Faheem as the duo slowly dragged their side back into the contest. The early onslaught from Munro meant run rate wasn't a huge issue for the two batters. When the equation came down to 31 from 18, Azam smashed a six and a four before following it up with another six in the penultimate over. Even though he fell immediately, Faheem got the job done with a hat-trick of boundaries in that final over with his side 8 down.

Brief scores: Quetta Gladiators 179/6 in 20 overs (Najibullah Zadran 59, Mohammad Nawaz 52; Fazalhaq Farooqi 3/25) lost to Islamabad United 183/8 in 19.3 overs (Colin Munro 63, Faheem Ashraf 39*; Umaid Asif 3/37) by 2 wickets

March 4

Billings, Rashid help Lahore prevail in top of the table clash

Sam Billings and Rashid Khan starred for Lahore Qalandars on Saturday (March 4) as they comfortably defeated Multan Sultans in the top of the table clash. The win, fifth in a row for Lahore, has now put them on the top with 10 points, followed by Multan with 8.

Lahore actually made a poor start, losing Fakhar Zaman for a duck in the opening over. But Abdullah Shafique signalled his intentions by smashing his first ball for a boundary. In the very next over, he took on Khushdil Shah for a six and Mirza Baig followed it up with successive boundaries as they raced to 50 in no time. Billings too began in similar fashion after Mirza's wicket as he added 69 for the third wicket alongside Shafique in quick time.

Initially biding his time to get going, Billings found his groove after smashing Usama Mir straight down the ground. With the two batters now fetching boundaries at will, Kieron Pollard gave his side the much-needed breakthrough by dismissing Shafique. The veteran allrounder followed it up with an excellent yorker in his next over to get rid of the half-centurion Billings as well, as Multan staged a late comeback. Those two wickets came in handy as they applied the brakes on the scoring rate and ended up conceding just 38 runs in the final five.

However, a target of 181 still proved to be too good for Multan. Shan Masood and Mohammad Rizwan did find the boundary on a few occasions but Multan managed only 44 in the powerplay. To make matters worse, Masood fell without taking off and Rizwan followed suit as Multan dragged themselves to 74 at the halfway stage.

While they needed to turn on the heat from thereon, Rashid had other ideas. He breached Usama Mir's defence with a googly and in the same over, he also trapped David Miller leg-before-wicket. If these two dismissals pegged them back, Rilee Rossouw's wicket in Rashid's next over killed the chase for good. Pollard was left to wage a lone battle and while he did contribute 39 off 28, it still wasn't enough as Multan fell short by 21.

Brief scores: Lahore Qalandars180/9 in 20 overs (Sam Billings 54, Abdullah Shafique 48; Kieron Pollard 2/16) beat Multan Sultans 159/7 in 20 overs (Kieron Pollard 39; Rashid Khan 3/15) by 21 runs

March 3

Azam Khan's 72* overshadows Imad Wasim's 92

Imad Wasim's unbeaten 92 off 54 balls was overshadowed by Azam Khan's 41-ball 72 not out as Islamabad United defeated Karachi Kings by six wickets in a high-scoring game in Rawalpindi. Kings posted 201/5 but the total proved insufficient as Azam's blitz, along with useful contributions from Alex Hales and Faheem Ashraf, helped United pull off their first ever successful 200-plus chase.

After opting to bat, Sharjeel Khan fell early but the Kings got a good platform through Tayyab Tahir and Adam Rossington. However, they both fell inside the powerplay, leaving Kings at 53/3, and they slipped to 78/4 when Shoaib Malik was dismissed. Wasim then led a brilliant counter-attack, striking 11 fours and two sixes, and received support from Irfan Khan in a fifth wicket stand worth 99 that helped Karachi finish with more than 200.

Munro was dismissed after scoring a four and a six but Hales provided the belligerence to the start of chase as he struck four boundaries and two sixes for his 34 that came at a strike rate of 212.5. United lost a couple of quick wickets and were 69/3 in the eighth over. But Azam, was involved in a 124-run stand with Ashraf that took United closer. Arshraf was run out off the last ball of the 19th over, leaving United needing eight off the final over. Asif Ali finished it off with a six and a four, leaving the Kings with six defeats out of eight games.

Brief scores: Karachi Kings 201/5 in 20 overs (Imad Wasim 92*, Irfan Khan 30; Tom Curran 2-43) lost to Islamabad United 204/4 in 19.2 overs (Azam Khan 72*, Faheem Ashraf 41; Mohammad Amir 1-40) by 6 wickets.

March 2

Raza's rearguard action, clinical bowling help Qalandars prevail

Sikandar Raza's 34-ball 71 not out led Lahore Qalandars' rearguard effort as they posted 148 after suffering a top-order collapse, and then rode on a clinical bowling performance to register a 17-run victory against Quetta Gladiators. The victory was Qalandars' fifth in seven games, helping them consolidate the top spot while the Gladiators lost their fifth match in six attempts to remain at the bottom of the table.

Will Smeed struck six fours inside the powerplay as he helped the Gladiators off to a good start in the chase, getting the bulk of the runs in a 53-run opening stand with Yasir Khan. But the Qalandars hit back with quick wickets and tight bowling, with Rashid Khan bagging a couple of wickets after Haris Rauf started Gladiators's slide with the wicket of Yasir. Rashid finished with excellent figures of 2 for 14 from his four overs as the Gladiators were reduced to 64/4 in 11 overs.

A struggling innings from Martin Guptill was ended by David Wiese in the 14th over while Odean Smith fell to Rauf on 11, leaving the Gladiators at 108/6 and needing 41 off the last three overs. Shaheen Afridi kept it tight in the 18th over while Rauf added Nawaz's scalp to finish with 3 for 22 from his four overs. Needing 25 off the final over, which was bowled by Zaman Khan, the Gladiators could only manage seven as they fell well short.

Earlier, after being asked to bat, the Qalandars were reduced to 50 for 7 inside 10 overs. Shaheen's 16 was the highest score among the top six as Mohammad Nawaz and Naveen-ul-Haq bagged two wickets apiece while there were also a couple of run-outs. The Qalandars were 29/4 at the end of the powerplay and they continued to slip until the arrival of Raza.

Raza, who walked out to bat in the ninth over, put on a brisk partnership with Rashid to lead their team's recovery. Raza struck maximums off Nawaz and Umaid Asif while Rashid Khan also got into the act, with 19 runs coming off the 13th over. Raza kept the boundaries coming while Rashid gave him good support in a 69-run stand that came off only 39 deliveries. Smith ended the partnership with the wicket of Rashid but Raza stayed until the final over, and was stranded when Zaman was the last to be dismissed with four deliveries still remaining.

Brief scores: Lahore Qalandars 148 in 19.2 overs (Sikandar Raza 71*, Rashid Khan 21; Mohammad Nawaz 2-19) beat Quetta Gladiators 131/7 in 20 overs (Will Smeed 32; Haris Rauf 3-22, Rashid Khan 2-14) by 17 runs.

March 1

Powell, Haseebullah, Kohler-Cadmore star in Zalmi's win

Rovman Powell, Haseebullah Khan and Tom Kohler-Cadmore scored fifties to engineer their team's comeback after a top order collapse as Peshawar Zalmi downed Karachi Kings by 24 runs. Kings could muster only 173 in a chase of 198.

Zalmi had a poor start, losing Mohammad Haris, Babar Azam and Saim Ayub with just two runs on the board. Mohammad Amir picked up all the three wickets to fall by generating swing. Kohler-Cadmore and Haseebullah (29-ball 50) then joined forces to share a valuable stand of 81 for the fourth wicket. Eventually, Haseebullah fell to Tabraiz Shamsi.

At that stage, Powell played a whirlwind knock (34-ball 64) to power his side towards a strong total. Lower down the order, Aamer Jamal also played his part with a 5-ball 13.

In the chase, Matthew Wade cracked a fifty but didn't get much support from the rest of the batters. Imad Wasim, batting at No.6, finished with a quick-fire 30-ball 57 but the captain of the side had too much to do.

Jamal and Azmatullah Omarzai took six wickets between them while Mujeeb ur Rahman finished with a two-for. Zalmi take the fourth spot on the points table with six points table while Kings slot in at the fifth position four points from seven games.

Brief scores: Peshawar Zalmi 197/5 in 20 overs (Rovman Powell 64, Kohler-Cadmore 56; Mohammad Amir 4-26) beat Karachi Kings 173/8 in 20 overs (Imad Wasim 57; Azmatullah Omarzai 328) by 24 runs.

February 27

Lahore Qalandars take top spot with crushing win

A fine all-round show powered Lahore Qalandars to a resounding 110-run win over Islamabad United in a PSL game played in Lahore. United could muster just 90 runs on the board in a chase of 201.

Qalandars, who opted to bat, had a brisk start with Mirza Baig and Fakhar Zaman sharing an alliance of 58 for the opening wicket. Baig and Zaman fell in quick succession to Shadab Khan and Tom Curran. However, Abudllah Shafique continued to crack a flurry of boundaries and finished with a 24-ball 45.

Sam Billings (23-ball 33) and Sikandar Raza (10-ball unbeaten 23) also played key roles as United conceded 58 runs in the last five overs. Despite all the carnage, Curran finished with respectable figures of 3 for 34 from his quota of four overs.

United's woes continued, as only three of the batters reached the double-digit mark. Colin Munro and R Gurbaz shared an opening stand of 41 in just four overs. Once Gurbaz fell to pace bowler Zaman Khan, United suffered a major collapse, losing their last nine wickets for 49 runs and were bowled out in the 14th over. Curran, batting at No.8, was the third highest-scorer in the innings with 10.

For Qalandars, Daivd Wiese was the chief wicket-taker (3 for 17). Rashid Khan and Raza also chipped in with a couple of scalps each. Zaman and Haris Rauf took a wicket each. With this win, Qalandars now sit at the top of the points table while United take the third slot with six points in five matches.

Brief scores: Lahore Qalandars 200/7 in 20 overs (Abdullah Shafique 45; Tom Curran 3-34) beat Islamabad United 90 in 13.5 overs (R Gurbaz 23; David Wiese 3-17) by 110 runs.

February 26

Karachi's spin trio ends Multan's winning run

Karachi Kings put on a clinical show with bat and ball on Sunday to pick up a vital win that also ended the winning run of table-toppers Multan Sultans. Batting first, Karachi made a rapid start with James Vince smashing three fours and two sixes in the opening three overs. While his march was halted by Anwar Ali. Debutant Tayyab Tahir took charge and put on a massive stand alongside Matthew Wade.

The Australian wicketkeeper-batter was not at his fluent best, scoring only 12 runs in the powerplay, but Tahir got off to a bright start. With Wade struggling to find his feet, Tahir kept finding the boundary as Karachi made 86 in the first half of the innings. Wade finally managed to drag his strike rate past 100 and Tahir at the other end brought up his fifty as Multan failed to find the breakthrough. The partnership went past 100 and Karachi set themselves up for a big finish in the final five overs.

That however failed to materialise as Multan pulled things back at the death, allowing Karachi to score only 37 in the final five. However, a target of 168 still proved to be a lot for Multan despite their openers putting on 41 inside five overs. Shoaib Malik's introduction did wonders for the bowling side as he breached the defence of Rilee Rossouw to trigger a collapse. The big wicket came at the halfway mark when Malik struck again, this time dismissing Mohammad Rizwan.

Tabraiz Shamsi then took charge in the middle overs as he accounted for the wickets of David Miller, Khushdil Shah and Usama Mir to stun Multan. From 68/2, the batting side lost four wickets for just 20 more runs to get reduced to 88/6. From thereon, there was no way back for Multan as Imad Wasim also chipped in with a couple of wickets towards the end. In total, the spin trio finished with stunning figures of 8/68 to bowl Multan out for just 101.

Brief scores: Karachi Kings 167/3 in 20 overs (Tayyab Tahir 65, Matthew Wade 46; Ihsanullah 2/22) beat Multan Sultans 101 in 16.3 overs (Mohammad Rizwan 29; Shoaib Malik 3/16, Tabraiz Shamsi 3/18) by 66 runs

Shaheen stands tall as Lahore prevail in six-fest

Lahore Qalandars and Peshawar Zalmi were involved in a high-scoring game in Lahore that saw the home side prevail by 40 runs following Shaheen Afrid's five-wicket haul. In a game