Shinwari shines as Quetta beat Lahore by 18 runs

The Lahore Qalandars’ batting crumbled for the second straight game in the Pakistan Super League as the Quetta Gladiators recorded an 18-run win on Tuesday.

Left-arm fast bowler Usman Shinwari, playing his first game in the Abu Dhabi leg of Pakistan’s premier domestic Twenty20 league, grabbed 3-32 before Lahore was bowled out for 140 in 18 overs.

Earlier, opening batsman Jake Weatherald (48) was the top scorer for Quetta and captain Sarfaraz Ahmed provided a late flourish with an unbeaten knock of 34 in his team’s competitive total of 158-5.

Lahore, which lost seven wickets for 14 runs in its previous game against Islamabad United, again struggled with the top order and slipped to 6-57 in nine overs.

Shinwari had captain Sohail Akhtar caught in the slip for nought in the first over and left-handed opener Fakhar Zaman (12) was clean bowled by Mohammad Hasnain.

Mohammad Hafeez’s (1) struggle in Abu Dhabi continued when Shinwari found the leading edge of the most experienced T20 batsman and had him caught at covers. Hafeez’s unimpressive run in the PSL has seen him scoring three single digits scores in the last four games.

Left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz had Ben Dunk and Rashid Khan clean bowled as both batsmen attempted ambitious pull shots before Tim David (46) smacked three sixes and four boundaries to give Lahore a glimmer of hope.

But Shinwari returned and had David caught behind in the 16th over before Mohammad Hasnain (2-40) wrapped up the innings by uprooting the middle stump of No. 11 batsman Haris Rauf.

Earlier, James Faulkner continued to impress with his swing bowling when the Australian chipped in with 3-25. Power-hitter Azam Khan made a quickfire 33 off 18 balls before Faulkner had him caught in the deep in his last over and capped another brilliant performance in PSL by having Nawaz caught off his own bowling.

But Sarfaraz ensured Quetta past the 150-run mark by adding 43 runs in the last five overs with Hasan Khan remaining unbeaten on 12.

It was only the second win in the tournament for Quetta, which sits last with four points. Lahore remains second with 10 points, two behind leader Islamabad.

Earlier, a record 150-run unbeaten partnership for the third wicket between Colin Munro and Iftikhar Ahmed guided Islamabad United to a comfortable eight-wicket win over Karachi Kings on Monday.

Chasing 191 to win, United got off to a shaky start as they lost Usman Khawaja (12 off 16, one four) and debutant Muhammad Akhlaq (one off two) in the batting powerplay with 41 runs on the board.

Iftikhar, coming to bat at number four, joined Munro, and both batsmen played shots all around the ground. They were provided two lifelines each. Iftikhar was dropped by Imad Wasim off his own bowling in the ninth over on seven and then in the 16th over on 46.

Munro was dropped on 34 in the 12th over by Waqas Maqsood off Abbas Afridi. The left-handed batsman took full advantage of the dropped chance as he struck Abbas for two consecutive fours later in the same over.

Munro was given another chance when he was caught of the full toss bowled by Thisara Perera’s which later was adjudicated above waist height, and Perera went for 23 runs in the over.

Munro brought up his fifth HBL PSL half-century in 39 balls. He returned undefeated on 88 off 56, hitting 12 fours and two sixes. His partner Iftikhar scored a 39-ball 71, laced with five fours and as many sixes.

Earlier, after being put into bat, half-centuries from Babar and Najibullah lifted Kings to 190 for four.

The opening pair of Sharjeel Khan and Babar contributed 37 runs for the first wicket, with left-handed Sharjeel scoring 25 off 17, (one four and two sixes), before being dismissed by Akif Javed in the fifth over.

Babar kept the scoreboard moving and struck two fours and a six off Ali Khan’s first over – sixth of the innings – and collected 17 runs of the over to end the batting powerplay on a high note at 56 for one.