Qalandars daze Karachi

DUBAI: Lahore Qalandars' bowling attack was too hot to handle for the Imad Wasim-led Karachi Kings in a relatively low-chase game at the second fixture of the day in the Dubai International Stadium.

The Qalandars defended 139 runs with the spectacular bowling display of in-house Players' Development Programme's find Haris Rauf, Rahat Ali and Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Surprisingly Babar Azam, the number one batsman in ICC T20i ranking, managed to hit a meager score of 28 off 38 balls with two boundaries on a strike rate 73.68.

Rauf's inswinging yorker with an average pace of over 140km/h was the highlight of the day - Kings' had no answer to it. Complimented with the brilliance of Shaheen Shah Afridi, who took out Livingstone and Ingram, with his phenomenal line and length.

Imad Wasim’s cameo of 17 runs slightly tilted the game in Kings' favour but with his fall Aaqib Javaid and Fawad Rana had the last laugh.

To sum it up, It was Shaam-e-Qalandar Fast bowler Muhammad Aamir, and spinners restricted Lahore Qalandars to 139 runs. The 19-year-old Umer Khan gave the much-needed breakthrough to the Kings by taking the wickets of AB Devilliers and Sohail Akhtar. The vital wickets halted the rising momentum of Hafeez's team.

Coupled with Muhammad Aamir's wicket and impressive run-outs, the Kings dominated the field after an initial fiery start of opener Fakhar Zaman and Akhtar.

For Lahore, today’s match is all about making a comeback and registering their first win of the tournament, after losing their opening game in dramatic fashion to Islamabad United despite being the dominant side for most of the game.

Kings who won their opening encounter against Multan Sultans on Friday night are looking to continue their winning momentum.