LAHORE: In a pulsating encounter at Gaddafi Stadium here on Sunday night, Karachi Kings chased down a revised target of 168 in 14.3 overs to defeat Lahore Qalandars by four wickets in a rain-affected HBL Pakistan Super League match reduced to 15 overs per side.
Irfan Khan’s explosive 48 not out off 21 balls, studded with five sixes, turned the game on its head, steering Kings to a dramatic victory with three balls to spare.
The match, a high-stakes affair with playoff implications, was interrupted by a 36-minute rain delay, but the intensity never waned.
Qalandars, batting first, posted a formidable 160-8, powered by Mohammad Naeem and Fakhar Zaman scintillating show. Karachi’s chase, initially rocked by early wickets, was resurrected by Irfan’s fearless strokeplay.
Kings got off to a flying start, with David Warner taking on Asif Afridi’s left-arm spin for two sixes and two fours — all through the on-side — in the second over.
They had doubled the score up by the end of the third when Haris Rauf announced his arrival with a fast and furious delivery to see Warner (24 off 13, two fours and two sixes) play onto his stumps.
Warner’s opening partner Tim Seifert (24 off 10, four fours and a six) followed his captain back to the pavilion in the fifth over to hand Asif his first wicket as the scoreboard read 58-2 at the end of the five-over powerplay.
Kings were deeper into problems when Vince holed out Rishad Hossain to Sikandar Raza, who took a brilliant low catch at deep midwicket.
But Saad Baig and Irfan — new on the crease at that point — counterattacked with confidence, the former dancing down to Rishad’s leg-spin to club hum through the cover for four before lifting the bowler over his head for a graceful six as Kings reached the 100-run mark by the end of the ninth over.
The introduction of medium pacer Daryl Mitchell in the next over, however, saw the right-armer trap Saad (25 off 15, three fours and a six) lbw before Haris returned to get Khushdil caught at deep point by Raza to leave Karachi needing 52 off 22 with five wickets down.
But Irfan turned it around for Kings when Qalandars captain Shaheen Shah Afridi came in to bowl the 13th over, lofting straight, hooking and pulling the pacer for three sixes before clearing square leg off Haris in the next over, which also saw Mohammad Nabi hit a six and a four.
With seven runs to win in the last over, Mitchell struck on the first ball to get Nabi, but Irfan, fittingly, lifted a full toss to see it sailing over long-off to get Kings over the line.
Earlier, after being put in to bat first, Qalandars were benefited by impactful knocks by openers Naeem and Fakhar before Abbas Afridi led Karachi’s impressive response with the ball.
Naeem hit a swashbuckling 65 off 27, bludgeoning six fours and and five sixes, while Fakhar played more of an anchor in his 33-ball 51, which was laced by four fours and three sixes.
After some audacious hits had seen the pair put up 90 on the board by penultimate ball of the eighth over, rain stopped play for more than an hour, with Kings coming back as a better bowling team to break Qalandars’ flow of runs, with Abbas taking 4-27
Naeem — who was dropped at 11 when Aamer Jamal spilled a sitter after the batter had skied a Hasan Ali bouncer in the second over — utilised the field restrictions and his immense power by smacking four fours and as many sixes to reach his half century off only 22 balls in the period.
The field spreading did not affect Naeem’s approach, with the right-hander rocking back to pull off-spinner Mohammad Nabi for a four and perfectly executing a slog-sweep for six in the next over.
