Lahore Qalandars 174 for 4 (Fakhar 106, Umaid 2-30) beat Karachi Kings 170 for 7 (Sharjeel 60, Haris 3-33) by six wickets
Fakhar Zaman is often criticised for blowing hot and cold, but against Lahore Qalandars' arch-rivals Karachi Kings, he was absolutely sizzling. A maiden PSL hundred from the opener saw him rip apart the Kings bowling attack to inflict a third straight defeat for the hosts and get Qalandars' first win of this season. By the time the innings, a PSL classic, was over, he had scorched his way to 106 of 60 deliveries, and his side only needed a further seven runs to wrap up a six-wicket final-over victory.
This game was a continuation of a trend that has defined PSL contests in Karachi since last season: the triumph of the chasing side. Kings were put in to bat and got off to a fast start thanks to an innings of characteristic pugnacity from Sharjeel Khan. His 60 off 39 got the Kings going, though Babar Azam yet again couldn't quite find the same fluency from the other end. It's been a good weekend for opening partnerships in the PSL, and here was another one from the Kings; by the time Mohammad Hafeez bowled Sharjeel with a lovely offspinner, the duo had put together 84 in 10 overs.
However, though the platform was set, the rest of the order failed to take advantage of it. Mohammad Nabi and Joe Clarke failed once more to keep up the pace Sharjeel had set, and Qalandars began to chip away with inexpensive overs and, as the overs progressed, wickets. Rashid Khan snared Babar for 41 off 33, a few too many balls consumed for not enough runs if the Kings wanted to set a total close to 200. No one outside the top four managed double figures, and three late wickets for Haris Rauf meant Qalandars went in at the changeover needing 171 to win, and momentum on their side.
It remains to be seen how a Qalandars batting line-up deals with a big chase because this wasn't a team methodically running down a target; it was one man taking on 11, and triumphing. Fakhar was happy to be fed the strike from the other end as he crunched fours - a dozen of them - and heaved four sixes away. He barely seemed to notice when Nabi had Abdullah Shafique hole out - or when Kamran Ghulam scooped one to Nabi at mid-on. He was fully focused on the target, with the steely determination of a man who would fetch every last run on his own if that's what was required.
Having frontloaded the economical Nabi and Imad Wasim - both were bowled out by the 14th over - Kings had got the asking rate up to ten, but never looked like getting rid of the man who was capable of strolling to such a target. With seven overs to go, Qalandars still needed 75, but once Fakhar took Imad on with two sixes off the first two balls of his final over, Qalandars' grip on the game began to tighten. Samit Patel took the singles, Fakhar smashed the boundaries. That was the deal, and both kept their ends of the bargain.
A sprinted couple to midwicket got Fakhar his first PSL hundred, and though he sliced one to third man soon after, his work was done. Patel finished off with a couple of fours. Qalandars had their first win, while the Kings - nought from three - still seek theirs.
