LAHORE: Sikandar Raza played a fighting 71-run knock to recover Lahore Qalandars to a commendable total of 148 before bowlers powered the home side to a convincing 17-run victory over rock-bottom Quetta Gladiators in the 18th match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season eight.

Set to chase a modest 149, the Gladiators fell 17 runs short of sealing a much-needed victory in the ongoing extravaganza and moved to the verge of an early exit from the extravaganza. Earlier in the pursuit, the Gladiators’ openers Will Smeed and young Yasir Khan scripted a flying start to their side as the pair raised 50 runs within the power-play before Haris Rauf provided a much-needed breakthrough to the Qalandars as he dismissed the latter on 14. Yasir’s dismissal triggered a match-defining collapse which consequently caused the Gladiators to slip to 80/5 in the 14th over.

Gladiators’ skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed then looked to anchor the run chase with a brief 25-run partnership for the sixth wicket with Odean Smith (11) but remained a touch slow in the process; causing the required run rate to climb sharply. The Gladiators, in dire need of big hits, failed to charge against a tight bowling display from Qalandars in the death overs and eventually ended up 17 runs short. Gladiators’ captain Sarfaraz remained not out with his cautious 27 off 28, while Will Smeed top-scored for the side with 32 off 25 balls, hitting six boundaries. Haris led the bowling attack for the Qalandars with 3/22 followed by Rashid Khan with 2/14, while David Wiese made one scalp. Put into bat first, the Qalandars managed to raise 147 before bundling out in the final over at the back of a scintillating 71-run knock by Raza. Earlier, the home side got off to a poor start as the side lost seven wickets for just 50 runs in the first 10 overs. With their side in heaps of trouble, Raza stitched a fighting seventh-wicket partnership with Rashid Khan and launched a counter-attack on the Gladiators’ bowlers as the pair added 69 runs in just 39 deliveries.

Rashid supported Raza brilliantly amid their glorious stand before Odean Smith got rid of him in the 16th over. He could score 21 off 20, hitting one boundary and a six. Naseem Shah then dismissed Haris Rauf for a duck in the next over which resulted in the hosts slipping to 125/9. Despite nine down, Raza carried on his baton charge on the Gladiators as he put on a vital 15-run partnership with Zaman Khan before the latter perished in the final over for a duck.

Raza remained unbeaten with his fighting knock and top-scored for Qalandars with 71 off just 34 deliveries, laced up with eight boundaries and three sixes. Mohammad Nawaz and Naveen-ul-Haq led the Gladiators’ bowling attack with two wickets each, while Smith, Umaid Asif and Naseem struck out a batter each.

Published in The Daily National Courier, March, 03 2023

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