Bopara stars in Karachi win

SHARJAH: Ravi Bopara scored a fifty and took six wickets as Karachi Kings defeated Lahore Qalandars by 27 runs in their Pakistan Super League (PSL) match here on Friday.

After winning the toss, Lahore invited Karachi to bat first.

Opener Nauman Anwar got out after scoring a handy 35 off 25 balls. Shoaib Malik contributed 27. A couple of quick wickets pushed Karachi on the back foot as Shakib Al Hasan and Imad Wasim were dismissed in quick succession.

Bopara made 71 runs with three fours and four towering sixes.

Mushfiqur Rahim, playing his first PSL match, came in to bat late and scored 10 runs as Lahore Qalandars were set a target of 179.

The Qalandars started well with Chris Gayle’s solid hitting.

Gayle and Cameron Delport took Lahore to 98 in 10.5 overs but they lost Delport (55), Gayle and Bravo in an over by Bopara.

Mohammad Rizwan and Umar Akmal tried to steady the chase but wickets continued to fall at regular intervals.

Bopara picked 6-16 and was adjudged Man-of-the-Match.

On Thursday evening, Quetta Gladiators rebounded with a punishing win against Islamabad United, their fourth of the tournament.

This meant that Quetta took the top spot from Peshawar Zalmi, who had edged a thriller in the first match of the day.

The Quetta bowlers knocked over Islamabad for 117 in 19.1 overs. Sarfraz himself then led the chase with a typically busy fifty.

Grant Elliott struck twice in two balls to set the match up for Quetta. Brad Haddin was first stumped by a canny back-of-the-hand slow roller, and then Sam Billings was trapped leg-before.

Elliott’s double-blow lifted Quetta, after a quick start from Shane Watson.

The slide seeped into the lower order as well, with Imran Khalid’s 18 being the second-best score, following Watson’s 28-ball 40. Elliott took 3 for 25.

Andre Russell accounted for Quetta’s top three, but Sarfraz built on opener Ahmed Shehzad’s 41, and sealed the win with seven wickets and 23 balls to spare.

Sarfraz hit six fours in his unbeaten 51 off 39 balls.

Score Board

Lahore Qalandars won toss

Karachi Kings

Nauman Anwar c U Akmal b Zohaib 35

*Shoaib Malik c Delport b Zafar      27

J M Vince c Bravo b Zohaib  7

R S Bopara not out   71

Shakib Al Hasan c Bravo b Zafar     9

Imad Wasim c Delport b Cooper     11

†Mushfiqur Rahim not out    10

Extras (lb 1, w 6, nb 1)       8

Total (5 wickets; 20 overs)  178

Did not bat: Sohail Tanvir, Usama Mir, Sohail Khan, Mir Hamza

Fall: 1-54, 2-62, 3-95, 4-109, 5-139

Bowling: Ehsan 4-0-32-0 (2w); Bravo 4-0-47-0; Cooper 4-0-28-1 (1w); Zohaib 4-0-35-2 (1w); Zafar 3-0-26-2 (1w); Delport 1-0-9-0 (1nb, 1w)

Lahore Qalandars

C H Gayle c Mushfiqur b Bopara      37

C S Delport st Mushfiqur b Usama   55

Umar Akmal c Shakib b Bopara      19

*D J Bravo c Mir b Bopara   0

†M Rizwan b Bopara  12

Hammad Azam lbw b Bopara         0

Naved Yasin c Shoaib b Bopara       0

K K Cooper not out   10

Zafar Gohar b Sohail 1

Zohaib Khan not out  10

Extras (w 7)   7

Total (8 wickets; 20 overs)  151

Did not bat: Ehsan Adil

Fall: 1-98, 2-98, 3-99, 4-122, 5-122, 6-122, 7-132, 8-134

Bowling: Shoaib 4-0-25-0; Sohail 4-0-30-1 (3w); Sohail 3-0-30-0; Usama 4-0-33-1 (2w); Mir 1-0-17-0 (1w); Bopara 4-0-16-6

Result: Karachi Kings won by 27 runs

Points: Karachi Kings 2, Lahore Qalandars 0

Man of the Match: R S Bopara (Karachi Kings)

Umpires: Aleem Dar (Pakistan) and J S Wilson (West Indies). TV umpire: Shozab Raza (Pakistan). Match referee: M Anees (Pakistan)