KARACHI: Head in hands, heartbeat racing; Shan Masood’s brother sitting in the VIP gallery looked nervous. He represented almost everyone in the crowd, who had come to support Karachi Kings — the team Shan was captaining — against Lahore Qalandars here at the National Bank Stadium on Sunday.

The Qalandars, already out of the playoffs’ race, were looking to deal a death blow to the Kings, who needed a win to keep their hopes alive. On a breezy night, this was also a fight for bragging rights in the rivalry between the two cities. For Shan, for his brother in the gallery and for the crowd in the stands, their hopes rested on Shoaib Malik. And the veteran didn’t disappoint, fighting through drama, through a comedy of errors and through the Qalandars’ fiery fight to carry his team home with three wickets to spare. Pursuing a target of 178 runs that Lahore had posted on the back of half-centuries by Fakhar Zaman and Abdullah Shafique, Karachi’s top-order had set the base for the chase with partnerships of 59 runs and 40 runs between openers James Vince and Tim Seifert and between the latter and Shan respectively. But once Shan was castled by Sikandar Raza and the incoming Kieron Pollard fell prey to a cunning slower yorker by Tayyab Abbas, Karachi needed an anchor. Malik volunteered.

His unbeaten innings of 27 off 17 was more about facilitating his partners on the other end. One of them, Seifert, though, was run out as part of one of a few confusion out on the pitch. But then came Irfan Khan Niazi, Karachi’s young pick who has grown in confidence through the tournament, and the continued their pursuit with boundaries off Tayyab and David Wiese before Malik clipped the latter for his first boundary in the 18th over. Irfan (35) showed immense poise and class as he played a scintillating square-drive off Lahore skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi and chipped the pacer over the short fine-leg fielder for three fours in the next over as Karachi crossed the 150-run mark. The tide turned almost in favour of Karachi when Malik plundered fast bowler Zaman Khan for two boundaries, leaving Karachi 17 to win in the last two overs.

Shaheen, however, returned to clatter Irfan’s stumps only after he had put up 52 off 25 with Malik. Anwar Ali was then caught in the deep two balls later, only for replays to rule it not out. Malik added insult to Qalandars’ injury by lofting Shaheen for a four down the ground, as the Lahore captain fumed with anger on the pitch, protesting against the umpires’ decision earlier. There was more drama in the final over as Zaman Khan forced a leading edge off Anwar’s bat and ran to his right to take a diving catch as nerves took over the venue. The nerves got the better of Karachi, and they triggered yet another mix-up this time between Arafat Minhas and Malik that ended up with both at the striker’s end, but Arafat becoming the victim. With three runs to win off the last ball, Malik slashed on a low, wide full toss as the ball pierced through the gap between point and short third-man for four runs, triggering crazy celebrations round the stands.

After being put into bat, Lahore rode on Fakhar and Abdullah’s knocks of 54 off 35 and 55 off 39 respectively for most of the runs that they scored before Raza and Wiese boosted their total to 177-5. Lahore were restricted to 44-1 in the powerplay, which saw opener Tahir Baig fall early to medium pacer Anwar and Fakhar hit a few lusty blows, including a towering six off pacer Blessing Muzarabani down the ground. Fakhar and first drop Abdullah dispatched sixes off Malik to bring up their fifty-run partnership in the ninth over. Fakhar reached his half-century off 32 balls as he swept leg-spinner Zahid Mahmood’s wayward delivery down the leg-side for another boundary. But just when Fakhar was expected to go for his characteristic fireworks, Irfan took centrestage with his livewire attitude as a fielder. Attempting to jog for a single after tucking Kieron Pollard to deep midwicket, Fakhar failed to make his ground as Irfan hit the bullseye. Boundaries by Abdullah and the incoming Shai Hope in the 12th over took Lahore past 100 runs. The West Indies batter, however, became Zahid’s first wicket when the left-hander’s attempt to clear long-on ended up in Malik’s hands on the boundary. Despite having Shaheen dropped off his bowling two balls later, Zahid dismissed the Lahore skipper on the next as Pollard made up for Hasan Ali’s horrific fielding effort. Abdullah, who had chipped Hasan for an outrageous tickle over the wicket-keeper’s head earlier, reached his half century in 36 balls in the 16th over, before his flick flew to Anwar at square-leg. Raza took on Anwar for two fours through the off-side in the 18th over, before the Zimbabwean and Wiese — a massive hit over long-on dispatched Muzarabani for a six each in the penultimate over. The Namibian international would then get two more off Hasan in the final over.

Published in The Daily National Courier, March, 11 2024

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