SHARJAH: It could not have been a better sight than Pakistan captainSarfraz Ahmed sealing the fate of a HBL PSL match, sending the last ball ofthe match over deep mid-wicket boundary to give Quetta Gladiators a threewicket win against Lahore Qalandars in Sharjah on Saturday.
Quetta, chasing 144 to win, needed three off the last ball from David Wieseand Sarfraz completed the task for Quetta’s fourth win in as many games tokeep them on top of the six-team HBL PSL table.
With that six Sarfraz finished with 52 not out off 36 balls with a six andfour boundaries.
Lahore Qalandars found the going tough against an accurate Quetta bowling,riding on a laborious 40-ball 45 not out which were, uncharacteristically,without a six and had only two boundaries to post a modest 143-7 in their20 overs after sent into bat.
Quetta have now chased down targets successfully in all four matches,winning by six, seven, eight wickets in the previous matches.
Quetta were in a spot of bother when they lost in-form Shane Watson off athird-ball duck and then the other two successful batsmen Rilee Rossouw(17) and Umar Akaml (nine departed soon to leave Quetta in a difficultsituation at 3-53.
Ahsan Ali, who scored 29-ball 40 with two sixes and as many boundaries,fell to Sandeep Lamichanne and Dwayne Smith was run out for two, but thewily campaigner Sarfraz kept his nerves.
Sarfraz and Mohammad Nawaz (18-ball 19 with a six) took Quetta to withinnine runs of victory. Quetta needed seven off the last over which startedwith Wiese bowling Anwar Ali with a yorker.
Sarfraz still knew a big hit could help Quetta cross the line and that heultimately did, making Wiese — who hit a last ball six in Lahore’s win overMultan Sultans on Friday — a villain from a hero.
Quetta kept their top position with the win. Peshawar Zalmi (tw0 wins andtwo losses in four matches) are second, Islamabad United are third (twowins and two losses but ineferior net run-rate), Lahore are fourth (threelosses, two wins in five), Multan are fifth (two points from four) whileKarachi Kings are sixth (two losses and one win from three matches).
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Sarfraz praised opposition’s bowling. “When you chase you need to keepwickets in hand, but today we lost wickets regularly because Lahore bowledwell. In the end it was my day and I hit the needed runs,” said Sarfraz.
Lahore’s skipper Fakhar Zaman — leading the side after De Villiers hurt hisback and couldn’t take the field — admitted his team was short on runs. “Wecouldn’t get a big total and that hurt us badly,” said Fakhar.
Lahore’s batting was kept under tight check by Quetta.
It was young Mudassar who was impressive with 3-21. He did not allow thegreat De Villiers to hit at his usual best. Mudassar kept following thegreat master as and when he moved in the crease, allowing him a leg bey andtwo singles in the 18th and just seven in the final over.
Left-arm spinner Nawaz (1-35) removed Fakhar (three) in the second over.But Fakhar’s partner, Sohail Akhtar looked threatening as he smashed threesixes and a boundary in his 21-ball 29 but Mudassar got him caught behindto check the flow of runs.
Corey Anderson, playing his first game this year, hit a six in his 18-ball19 before David Wiese (16-ball 20 with a six) helped De Villiers add 40 forthe fifth wicket.
But Lahore did not manage to hit high and wide in final overs as just 28 inthe final five overs.
That was because Quetta unleashed tight bowling, with Sohail Tanvir alsochipping in with 2-21 in his four overs. None of the Quetta bowlers wentover seven per over, with leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed the most expensive,returning with figures of 0-31.
