DUBAI: When the Quetta Gladiators took the inaugural HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) by storm last year, it seemed like quite a fairytale at least till the finale.
The Gladiators, representing the most ignored of the Pakistani provinces, provided the proverbial underdog’s tale with their unexpected winning spree that only ended in the final at the hands of Islamabad, which peaked at just the right time.
However, this time around their second win in a row on Saturday night wasn’t surprising.
Captained by Sarfraz Ahmed, Quetta are showing why many believe that they are the team to beat in PSL 2 by back-to-back wins against Lahore Qalandars and Karachi Kings.
On Saturday night, Sarfraz (56) and South African Rilee Rossouw (76) saw Quetta thump Karachi by seven wickets at the Dubai International Stadium.
The duo figured in an unbroken 130-run partnership for the fourth wicket as Quetta going past the target of 160 with five balls to spare.
Rossouw smashed three sixes and seven fours to score 76 off 53 deliveries for his second fifty in a row. He was well supported by the Sarfraz slammed four boundaries and a six.
Earlier, Karachi Kings scored a competitive 159 for eight in 20 overs after being put into bat.
Karachi’s innings was boosted by a magnificent half century from Babar Azam (50) which was spiced with four boundaries and a six before being run out.
Kings captain Kumar Sangakkara chipped with 25 off 22 balls.
“I think probably we were a bowler short in the middle for us to really try and get an advantage but we could also have got a little more in the Powerplay today but it was not to be,” said Sangakkara.
“I thought we bowled really well again in the Powerplay. We took some early wickets but to capialise on that we probably needed another full time bowler. We had a good performance today not quite good enough to win,” added Sangakkara who was lavish in praise of Rossouw.
“I thought Rilee came out and batted really positively. That was what Quetta needed. He never took a lot of balls to really settle down. Rilee showed exactly the way to bat on it,” he added.
“I just try to play ball for ball. Not putting too much pressure on myself. I believe that if I prep(are) and my execution is good on the day, it’s fine,” said Rossouw who was excited about being part of PSL.
“It’s a great tournament. It is one of the best I have been involved in and looking forward to the future of this tournament,” he added.
With two wins in two matches, Quetta Gladiators have now jumped to the top in league chart, while the second consecutive defeat has pushed Karachi Kings to the bottom.
Score Board
Quetta Gladiators won toss
Karachi Kings
Shahzaib Hasan c & b Mills 19
C H Gayle c & b Perera 10
Babar Azam run out (Shehzad/Perera) 50
*†K C Sangakkara c Hasan b Perera 25
K A Pollard c Pietersen b Nawaz 14
Shoaib Malik c Nawaz b Perera 15
R S Bopara c Babar b Mills 16
Imad Wasim not out 6
Sohail Khan run out 2
Extras (lb 1, w 1) 2
Total (8 wickets; 20 overs) 159
Did not bat: Mohammad Amir, Abrar Ahmed
Fall: 1-28, 2-35, 3-79, 4-97, 5-123, 6-141, 7-152, 8-159
Bowling: Anwar 4-0-37-0 (1w); Mills 4-0-21-2; Babar 4-0-25-0; Perera 4-0-34-3; Hasan 2-0-14-0; Nawaz 2-0-27-1
Quetta Gladiators
Asad Shafiq c Malik b Sohail 11
Ahmed Shehzad c Pollard b Sohail 11
K P Pietersen c Sangakkara b Sohail 0
R R Rossouw not out 76
*†Sarfraz Ahmed not out 56
Extras (lb 2, w 3, nb 1) 6
Total (3 wickets; 19.1 overs) 160
Did not bat: Mohammad Nawaz, N L T C Perera, Hasan Khan, Anwar Ali, T S Mills, Zulfiqar Babar
Fall: 1-23, 2-23, 3-30
Bowling: Amir 4-0-27-0 (1w); Imad 3-0-27 (1w); Sohail 4-0-23-3; Abrar 2-0-19-0; Bopara 4-0-30-0 (1w); Pollard 1.1-0-23-0 (1nb); Malik 1-0-9-0
Result: Quetta won by 7 wickets
Man of the match: R R Rossouw (Quetta Gladiators)
Umpires: Aleem Dar (Pakistan) and Rashid Riaz (Pakistan). TV umpire: Ahmed Shahab (Pakistan). Match referee: Mohammed Anees (Pakistan)