SHARJAH: The 2017 HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) came alive in full fanfare at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium where on Saturday Kevin Pietersen finally got going as Quetta Gladiators completed an exhilarating run-chase to leave Lahore Qalandars stunned for the second year running.

At the halfway point, Lahore had seemingly done enough to win the 11th fixture by scoring at a rate of 10 to amass 200-3. But perhaps they didn’t realize that the very same opponents had overhauled an equally impregnable total of 201-2 in Dubai on Feb 16 last year to seal a sensational last-ball win by two wickets.

This time, Quetta were even more mean in the chase, getting over the line by five wickets with seven deliveries to spare in a remarkable turnaround largely due to the pyrotechnics from the previously-silent bat of Pietersen and another gen from the captain, Sarfraz Ahmed, when Lahore had all but sewn up the game.

In 2016, it was Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi who provided the finishing touches to a come-from-behind victory. Over here, it was Pietersen who anchored the innings quite magnificently with Sarfraz also giving the charge to the Lahore bowlers when it mattered.

The loss of first four men didn’t mean anything to this never-say-die squad which has the legendary Sir Vivian Richards mentoring it. Pietersen put behind previous scores of 3, 0 and 0 to bed by venting his anger on Lahore bowling.

The former England right-hander, who had just 50-plus innings from past 12 PSL innings, entertained the crowd to the core as he bludgeoned eight sixes and three fours to plunder 88 from just 42 balls at a strike-rate of 209.52.

The game-changing moment arrived after 16 overs when Quetta were still far off at 139-4. But Sunil Narine’s re-entry into the attack for his final over saw the momentum shift dramatically away from Lahore. The wily West Indies spinner was smashed by Pietersen for consecutive sixes upfront before Sarfraz added a third on the fourth ball as 22 runs were made in the 17th over.

Mohammad Irfan, a lanky right-arm paceman who delivers off the wrong foot like his left-armer team-mate Sohail Tanvir, then ran into Pietersen slogged four sixes — including three to complete a 26-run 18th over.

The loss of Sarfraz for a rapid 25-ball 45 (three sixes and three sixes) after a partnership of 101 from just 45 deliveries failed to alter the result as Anwar Ali did the rest without dropping a sweat.

In hindsight, Sarfraz’s decision to field first — the 11th successive occurrence in the ongoing tournament where all captains winning the toss have been reluctant in batting first thus far — didn’t seemed a wise move tat the start as Lahore batsmen cashed in on merrily to pile up big runs.

Jason Roy and Fakhar Zaman began with a rousing opening partnership of 77 in only 6.4 overs, all told with England right-hander warming up for upcoming internationals in the West Indies in blazing style.

Roy was rampant throughout his innings and thrashed the bowlers at will to help himself to six boundaries and three sixes. He faced only 27 deliveries to make 51.

Fakhar continued his rise with a 31-ball 47 (six fours and one six) and Rizwan also came good with a 28-ball 46, featuring four sixes, but their efforts were not enough in the end.

Scoreboard

LAHORE QALANDARS:

J.J. Roy b Hassaan 51

Fakhar Zaman c Ahmed b Zulfiqar 47

Umar Akmal c Mahmudullah b Hassaan 17

Mohammad Rizwan not out 46

C.S. Delport not out 35

EXTRAS (LB-3, NB-1) 4

TOTAL (for three wkts, 20 overs) 200

FALL OF WKTS: 1-77, 2-107, 3-123.

DID NOT BAT: B.B. McCullum, S.P. Narine, Sohail Tanvir, Bilawal Bhatti, Mohammad Irfan, Yasir Shah.

BOWLING: Zulfiqar Babar 4-0-28-1; Anwar Ali 3-0-37-0 (1nb); Perera 4-0-37-0; Mohammad Nawaz 3-0-44-0; Hassaan Khan 4-0-28-2; Mahmudullah 2-0-23-0.

QUETTA GLADIATORS:

Ahmed Shehzad b Irfan 15

Saad Nasim c Rizwan b Sohail 5

K.P. Pietersen not out 88

R.R. Rossouw c Bilawal b Irfan 33

N.L.T.C. Perera c sub b Delport 1

Sarfraz Ahmed c Rizwan b Sohail 45

Anwar Ali not out 12

EXTRAS (LB-1, W-1, NB-1) 3

TOTAL (for five wkts, 18.5 overs) 202

FALL OF WKTS: 1-13, 2-24, 3-81, 4-89, 5-190.

DID NOT BAT: Mahmudullah, Mohammad Nawaz, Hassaan Khan, Zulfiqar Babar.

BOWLING: Sohail Tanvir 3.5-0-47-2 (1w); Narine 4-0-38-0; Mohammad Irfan 4-0-48-2 (1nb); Bilawal Bhatti 1.1-0-19-0; Yasir Shah 4-0-31-0; Delport 1.5-0-18-1.

RESULT: Quetta Gladiators won by five wickets.

UMPIRES: Shozab Raza (Pakistan) and Rashid Riaz (Pakistan).

TV UMPIRE: Ahmed Shahab (Pakistan).

MATCH REFEREE: R.S. Mahanama (Sri Lanka).

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Kevin Pietersen.

Published in Dawn February 19th, 2017