Quetta Gladiators 142 (Faheem 43, Kusal 36, Hasan 3-33) beat Karachi Kings 137 for 8 (Seifert 47, Vince 30, Wasim 2-22, Amir 2-26) by five runs
A remarkable bowling comeback from Quetta Gladiators saw them squeeze Karachi Kings out by five runs to defend 142 - the lowest PSL total ever defended at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Kings were cruising at 75 for 1 in eight overs, requiring 68 in 72 balls before a near-perfect rearguard saw Gladiators puncture their way through Kings' batting line-up. The next eight overs produced just 27 runs and five wickets as spin and pace alike kept up pressure which Kings melted in the face of.
None of this seemed possible while Tim Seifert promised to make short work of a low target. Mohammad Amir struck in the first over to dismiss David Warner, but James Vince and Seifert brushed off the early blow, flying out of the blocks and bearing down on the target. Vince went after Amir in his second over while Seifert took down Khurram Shahzad, carrying on with his dominance by smashing 19 off Faheem Ashraf almost all by himself in the eighth over.
Thereafter, though, Kings strangely fell apart. Saud Shakeel brought himself on and bowled a superb first over that produced the wicket of Vince. It brought Shan Masood to the crease, who would endure a torrid time, struggling to get bat on ball. By the time he fell, he had scratched 9 off 17, while Seifert, too had holed out off Mohammad Wasim.
Abrar Ahmed's superb spell produced the wicket he deserved in his final over, a googly producing an outside edge from Khushdil Shah that first slip clung on to. He had conceded just 15 in his four, and by the end of his spell, the asking rate had climbed beyond eight. Gladiators' intensity had risen significantly, with a superb fielding and catching performance complementing their bowlers.
Kings would never regroup and mount a serious assault on the target again. Wickets scattered in the win; Amir returned and bounced out Mohammad Nabi while Abbas Afridi was trapped in front by Khurram Shahzad. By now, Gladiators were well into the Kings tail, and though Hasan Ali swung for the fences in the dying stages of the chase, the light had gone out for Kings, and Gladiators scooped up two points.
It was in the first innings, after Kings opted to field, that the foundation for what should have been a victory was laid. Hasan Ali was in one of those moods where he can rip through an opposition, and sent back openers Finn Allen and Shakeel within four deliveries. He induced Rilee Rossouw to chop on in his second over, and wickets would continue to fall after the powerplay. Mark Chapman was split in half by Nabi while Kusal Mendis scooped one to long-on after another inventive cameo that saw him accumulate 36 off 22.
Resistance from Hasan Nawaz and, more tellingly, Faheem, pushed Gladiators' total into territory that would eventually end up being defensible. They combined for 59 off 47, with Faheem's destructiveness at odds with the struggles off his team-mates; his 27-ball 43 dragged Gladiators beyond 140. It felt like a contribution in heroic failure, but ended up being the catalyst for a glorious triumph.
