HBL PSL 2024: Lahore Qalandars grab long-awaited first win

LAHORE Qalandars batter Rassie van der Dussen plays a shot during the HBL Pakistan Super League match against Islamabad United at the Pindi Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.—Tanveer Shahzad/White Star

RAWALPINDI: Rassie van der Dussen ensured Lahore Qalandars had something to defend, infusing hope in his deflated side. The bowlers and fielders then stepped up and the Qalandars finally had a win to savour on the eighth time of asking in this season’s HBL Pakistan Super League.

The 18-run victory over Islamabad United at the Pindi Cricket Stadium on Wednesday gave the two-time defending champions some consolation, having seen their playoff hopes extinguish after Karachi Kings won earlier at the same venue but their performance left many wondering about their struggles before this game.

They seemed to be continuing on that path early on, losing both their openers in a slow start after they were put into bat. But South African Van der Dussen held anchor with a 44-ball 64, helping the Qalandars post 162-7 and some stunning efforts in the field, notably by Jahandad Khan, and disciplined bowling, with Zaman Khan (4-37) leading the way, saw them finish off Islamabad for 145 with seven balls to spare.

Qalandars’ start mirrored the season they are enduring, having collected their first point thanks to a washout in their last match, with openers Sahibazada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman back in the dugout before the end of the powerplay.

Farhan was adjudged to have been caught behind when he was still to get off the mark but reviewed immediately with the replays showing a sizeable gap between bat and ball. But he departed soon after, holing Hunain Shah to third man.

Fakhar got to 10 but fell when Colin Munro pulled off a blinder on the square leg fence when the ball seemed destined for a six and the Qalandars were reduced to 30-3 when Shai Hope’s attempt to hit Imad Wasim down the ground went only as far as the lunging Jordan Cox.

Skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi promoted himself up the order and went on a six-hitting spree in a 14-ball 30, launching Agha Salman, Imad, Faheem Ashraf and Shadab Khan over the ropes before being outfoxed by his United counterpart and seeing the ball hit the his off-stump.

Sikandar Raza didn’t last long; top-edging Faheem and keeper Azam Khan running almost to the deep third boundary to complete the catch.

The Qalandars ended the 15th over at 98-5; their hopes of a big finish resting on Van der Dussen,

The South African didn’t disappoint. After Ahsan Hafeez (13) lifted the first ball of the 16th for six over fine leg, Van der Dussen ramped Faheem for his third boundary and ended the over with his third six — a square cut over deep point.

Ahsan perished soon after, finding Munro at the midwicket boundary, but Van der Dussen kept going, pulling Naseem Shah away for six to bring up his half-century.

The incoming David Wiese (23 not out) ended the 18th over with consecutive boundaries before Van der Dussen fell with seven balls remaining when he was trapped lbw by Rumman Raees.

Wiese then knocked off 11 runs in the last over, including a boundary, to help his side post a challenging score.

Munro started the chase by driving Shaheen for consecutive boundaries through cover but United lost opener Alex Hales to a piece of inspired fielding by Jahandad, who caught the Englishman with his outstretched left hand while running towards the long-on boundary.

Zaman then removed Salman, getting him caught down the legside, before accounting for Shadab, who played all over a yorker and was cleaned up. Munro departed soon after; run out thanks to a scorching throw by Jahandad from the deep.

Imad thumped Wiese down the ground on the first ball he faced but was gone next ball, edging to Abdullah Shafique at slip. Jahandad then ran to take a catch off his own bowling to see the end of Jordan Cox to leave United struggling at 38-6.

Azam took a few balls to get his eye in but once he began swinging his bat, there seemed no stopping him until it was a case of one hit too many for the burly right-hander. Having hit two sixes and three fours in a rollicking 29, Azam fell on the 19th ball he faced, holing Ahsan out to Sikandar on the long-off boundary.

Naseem gave United a glimmer of hope when he launched Shaheen for consecutive sixes before he was cleaned up by his fellow Pakistan pacer. He also hit two fours in a 16-ball 27.

Zaman shattered Hunain’s stumps with a full toss and then floored Faheem Ashraf (41 not out) off a sharp chance in the next over.

Faheem made him pay in the penultimate over, hitting Zaman for six over midwicket and then slicing him for four. Faheem then found the extra cover boundary to raise United hopes once again, only for Zaman to end them when he trapped Rumman Raees lbw.

Scoreboards

Quetta Gladiators v Karachi Kings

QUETTA GLADIATORS:

Batters & modes of dismissals R B 4s 6s SR

Jason Roy c Hasan b Muzarabani 15 8 3 0 187.50

Saud Shakeel c Malik b Hasan 33 28 2 2 117.85

Khawaja Nafay c Muzarabani b Hasan 17 15 1 1 113.33

Rilee Rossouw c Nawaz b Zahid 10 16 0 0 62.50

Sarfraz Ahmed run out 7 8 1 0 87.50

Sherfane Rutherford c Pollard b Muzarabani 9 9 1 0 100.00

Akeal Hosein c Pollard b Hasan 14 13 0 1 107.69

Mohammad Amir b Zahid 2 4 0 0 50.00

Mohammad Hasnain b Hasan 5 9 1 0 55.55

Abrar Ahmed not out 1 3 0 0 33.33

Usman Tariq b Hamza 1 2 0 0 50.00

EXTRAS (B-1, LB-1, W-2) 4

TOTAL (all out, 19.1 overs) 118

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-20 (Roy), 2-67 (Saud), 3-68 (Nafay), 4-81 (Sarfraz), 5-89 (Rossouw), 6-97 (Rutherford), 7-100 (Amir), 8-116 (Hosein), 9-117 (Hasnain)

BOWLING: Malik 4-0-24-0, Hamza 3.1-0-25-1 (1w), Muzarabani 4-0-27-2 (1w), Hasan 4-0-15-4, Zahid 4-0-25-2

KARACHI KINGS:

Batters & modes of dismissals R B 4s 6s SR

Shan Masood c Sarfraz b Amir 7 8 1 0 87.50

Tim Seifert st Sarfraz b Abrar 49 31 6 2 158.06

James Vince c Hasnain b Hosein 27 28 4 0 96.42

Shoaib Malik not out 27 20 0 2 135.00

Irfan Khan not out 4 6 0 0 66.66

EXTRAS (LB-3, W-4) 7

TOTAL (for three wickets, 15.3 overs) 121

DID NOT BAT: Kieron Pollard, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Zahid Mahmood, Mir Hamza, Blessing Muzarabani

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-13 (Shan), 2-63 (Vince), 3-107 (Seifert)

BOWLING: Hosein 4-0-24-1, Amir 2-0-23-1, Abrar 4-0-24-1 (1w), Usman 3.3-0-23-0 (2w, Hasnain 2-0-24-0 (1w)

RESULT: Karachi Kings won by seven wickets.

PLAYER-OF-THE-MATCH: Hasan Ali

Lahore Qalandars v Islamabad United

LAHORE QALANDARS:

Batters & modes of dismissals R B 4s 6s SR

Sahibzada Farhan c Faheem b Hunain 2 12 0 0 16.66

Fakhar Zaman c Munro b Rumman 10 10 1 0 100.00

Rassie van der Dussen lbw b Rumman 64 44 4 4 145.45

Shai Hope c Cox b Imad 6 9 0 0 66.66

Shaheen Shah Afridi b Shadab 30 14 0 4 214.28

Sikandar Raza c Azam b Faheem 4 10 0 0 40.00

Ahsan Hafeez c Munro b Naseem 13 8 0 1 162.50

David Wiese not out 24 11 3 0 218.18

Jahandad Khan not out 2 2 0 0 100.00

EXTRAS (W-7) 7

TOTAL (for seven wickets, 20 overs) 162

DID NOT BAT: Tayyab Abbas, Zaman Khan

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-11 (Farhan), 2-16 (Fakhar), 3-30 (Hope), 4-76 (Shaheen), 5-92 (Raza), 6-117 (Ahsan), 7-148 (van der Dussen)

BOWLING: Naseem 4-1-30-1 (1w), Rumman 3-0-19-2 (2w), Hunain 3-0-24-1 (1w), Imad 3-0-24-1 (1w), Salman 1-0-14-0, Faheem 3-0-28-1 (1w), Shadab 3-0-23-1 (1w)

ISLAMABAD UNITED:

Batters & modes of dismissals R B 4s 6s SR

Colin Munro run out (Jahandad) 15 16 2 0 93.75

Alex Hales c Jahandad b Shaheen 0 2 0 0 0.00

Salman Ali Agha c Hope b Zaman 4 3 1 0 133.33

Shadab Khan b Zaman 7 10 1 0 70.00

Jordan Cox c & b Jahandad 7 7 1 0 100.00

Imad Wasim c sub (Abdullah) b Wiese 4 2 1 0 200.00

Azam Khan c Raza b Ahsan 29 19 3 2 152.63

Faheem Ashraf not out 41 31 4 1 132.25

Naseem Shah b Shaheen 27 16 2 2 168.75

Hunain Shah b Zaman 3 3 0 0 100.00