KARACHI: James Vince and Imad Wasim led Karachi Kings to pile a mammoth 185/5 before Akif Javed-led bowling attack powered the home side to a dominating 67-run victory over arch-rivals Lahore Qalandars in the eighth match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season eight.
Set to chase 187, the Qalandars’ batting lineup failed completely against the disciplined bowling attack of the Kings as they were bundled out for a meagre 118 in the 18th over.
The Qalandars, however, were off to a decent start to the pursuit as their openers Fakhar Zaman and Mirza Tahir Baig added brisk 40 runs before Aamer Yamin castled Fakhar to hand Kings a much-needed breakthrough. The left-handed batter could score 15 off 12.
Mohammad Amir then further pushed the Qalandars to the back foot as he struck out Shai Hope (1) in the next over, which eventually halted the flow of runs for the visitors.
Following the early slump, Baig put on a cautious 41-run partnership for the third wicket with Kamran Ghulam but the pair remained a touch too slow as they conceded as many deliveries in the process before Akif dismissed Kamran, who could score 23 off 22.
Ghulam’s dismissal triggered a match-defining collapse as the Qalandars eventually bundled out for 118 in the 18th with Baig being their notable run-getter.
The right-handed opener scored 45 off 39 deliveries with the help of three boundaries and two sixes.
Akif led the bowling attack for the Kings with magnificent figures of 4/28 while Yamin and Ben Cutting bagged two each. Skipper Imad and Amir made one scalp.
Put into bat first, the Kings raised a mammoth 185/5 in the allotted 20 overs at the back of some vital contributions by their openers and skipper Imad.
The opening pair of Vince and Matthew Wade worked for the Kings as the pair scripted a solid start with a magnificent 70-run partnership and laid the foundation for a massive total.
Wicketkeeper batter Wade, the core aggressor of the vital opening partnership had an unlucky dismissal as he got run out; courtesy of a brilliant effort in the deep by Ghulam, who cannoned in a perfect throw at the striker’s end.
Wade scored 36 off just 24 deliveries with the help of four boundaries and a six.
Following Wade’s dismissal, Haider Ali put on a brief partnership with Vince and looked to charge on the struggling Qalandars’ bowlers before Liam Dawson castled him in the 12th over. He could score 18 off 16.
Haider’s dismissal triggered a brief collapse as the Kings slipped to 124/4 in the 15th over with in-form Shoaib Malik (10) and Vince departing in quick successions.
Vince top-scored for the Kings with 46 off 36 deliveries and hit three boundaries and two sixes.
Following the brief collapse, skipper Imad took responsibility and launched a counter-attack on the Qalandars’ bowlers to make sure his side amass a competitive total with Cutting also supporting him amid death overs with his crucial 20-run cameo.
The all-rounder struck a quickfire 35 off a mere 19 deliveries, laced with two boundaries and as many sixes.
For Qalandars, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan and Dawson made one scalp each.
