Narine, Umar Akmal to play for Quetta Gladiators in PSL-IV

LAHORE: Pakistan middle-order batsman Umar Akmal and West Indies spinner Sunil Narine will represent Quetta Gladiators in the fourth edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL-IV).

In a statement, Quetta Gladiators owner Nadeem Omar said: “Sunil Narine and Umar Akmal are world-class additions to the Gladiators squad ahead of PSL season 4. Sunil Narine is a magician with the ball and one of the best match winners in T20 cricket. Umar Akmal, too, remains one of the most destructive batsmen in Pakistan and he will add firepower to our batting.”

Narine joined Qalandars in the second PSL edition and over the course of his stay picked up 20 wickets at an average of 20.65. He famously secured Qalandars a super-over win over arch-rivals Karachi Kings as his right-arm off breaks allowed Kings’ batsmen only eight runs in their pursuit of 12.

Akmal scored 335 runs in the first edition, the highest in the season, at an average of 83.75. But he managed only 164 runs at 20.50 in the next edition.

In the third edition he was given only five matches in which he scored 57 runs.

Quetta Gladiators traded the duo with Lahore Qalandars for medium-fast Rahat Ali and young left-arm orthodox Hassan Khan.

Making his PSL debut in the 2018 edition, Rahat finished the season with 15 wickets in 11 matches at an average of 21.46. He was the fourth-highest wicket-taker in the season. Twenty-year-old Hassan took six wickets in 11 matches. But it was his economy of 6.67 that made him a regular feature in the Sarfraz Ahmed-led playing XI.