Umar Akmal powers Lahore Qalandars  to big win

DUBAI: Umar Akmal bludgeoned the highest score of the Pakistan Super League, his 40-ball 93 guiding Lahore Qalandars to their first win of the season, against Quetta Gladiators here on Monday night.

The 63-run defeat was Quetta’s first of the tournament, after they had set the early pace with three consecutive wins.

Not many could have seen Akmal’s blast coming when Lahore crawled to 62 for 1 in 10 overs. But with Cameron Delport providing the initial spark and Akmal the finishing punch, Lahore cruised to 194 for 3 at the end of 20 overs. The pair added 95 runs in only 42 balls, with Delport smoking a 55-ball 73, an innings that featured eight fours and three sixes. Although the carnage could have been cut short - Akmal survived a close lbw shout off the third ball he faced and Zulfiqar Babar was visibly distraught when it was given not out.

Babar eventually trapped Delport lbw when the batsman attempted an extravagant reverse flick, but any hope Quetta had of drying up the runs were quickly dashed by Akmal, who treated himself to six fours and eight sixes, including 18 runs off the penultimate over, bowled by Umar Gul. Akmal could not reach his maiden T20 ton, but he made sure Quetta needed to score at nearly 10 an over right from the off. They could not.

Lahore’s spinners took wickets at regular intervals and only Mohammad Nawaz (42) and Sarfraz Ahmed (31) offered any resistance. Once Sarfraz was dismissed in the 13th over, Quetta lost their next six wickets for 13 runs and folded for 131. Zafar Gohar was the pick of the bowlers, collecting 4 for 14, while Ajantha Mendis chipped in with 3 for 17.

Score Board

Quetta Gladiators won toss

Lahore Qalandars

*Azhar Ali c Akbar b U Gul    20

C S Delport lbw b Zulfiqar     73

Umar Akmal c Akbar b Anwar 93

D J Bravo not out      5

Hammad Azam not out         0

Extras (w 2, nb 1)     3

Total (3 wickets; 20 overs)  194

Did not bat: †M Rizwan, Naved Yasin, Zohaib Khan, K K Cooper, B A W Mendis, Zafar Gohar

Fall: 1-62, 2-157, 3-193

Bowling: Anwar 4-0-27-1 (1w); Nabi 4-0-37-0; Zulfiqar 4-0-31-1; Nawaz (3) 3-0-31-0; U Gul 4-0-50-1 (1nb, 1w); Akbar 1-0-18-0

Quetta Gladiators

L J Wright c Cooper b Zafar  4

Ahmed Shehzad b Cooper     15

K P Pietersen c Cooper b Bravo       12

M Nawaz (3) st Rizwan b Mendis     42

*†Sarfraz Ahmed st Rizwan b Zohaib         31

M Nabi c U Akmal b Zafar     6

E Chigumbura c Azhar b Mendis       3

Akbar-ur-Rehman st Rizwan b Zafar 3

Anwar Ali c Zafar b Mendis   3

Umar Gul c Umar b Zafar      0

Zulfiqar Babar not out         1

Extras (b 3, lb 3, w 5)         11

Total (all out; 16.2 overs)    131

Fall: 1-20, 2-26, 3-37, 4-111, 5-118, 6-122, 7-125, 8-129, 9-130, 10-131

Bowling: Bravo 2-0-13-1; Zafar 3.2-0-14-4 (2w); Cooper 2-0-24-1 (2w); Zohaib 4-0-32-1 (1w); Hammad 2-0-25-0; Mendis 3-0-17-3

Result: Lahore Qalandars won by 63 runs

Points: Lahore Qalandars 2, Quetta Gladiators 0

Man of the Match: Umar Akmal (Lahore Qalandars)

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