DUBAI: Umar Akmal blitzed a 40-ball 93 and shared a 94-run stand with Cameron Delport as Lahore Qalandars ended their winless streak in the Pakistan Super League to complete a 63-run rout of leaders Quetta Gladiators at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Monday night.

In a scintillating display of power-hitting, Umar and Delport helped Lahore post 194, before spinners Zafar Gohar (4-14) and Ajantha Mendis (3-17) helped bowl Quetta out for 131, condemning them to their first loss of the campaign.

It took five days of settling and roller use for the Dubai surface to conform to the hitting norms of Twenty20 cricket and the hitting came despite the absence of Chris Gayle, who was missing from the Qalandars playing XI with a suspected back injury.

Incidentally, for the first time in three games, Lahore went through the first over without losing a wicket. Captain Azhar Ali set the tone of the team’s innings early on by stepping out to Anwar Ali and hitting him over the long on fence.

Quetta Sarfraz Ahmed turned to spin but for once, they didn’t answer his calls for a breakthrough. Mohammad Nabi, Mohammad Nawaz and Zulfiqar Babar’s first overs were seen off and Lahore had progressed to a steady 29 after five overs.

Delport then survived the first off his chances when Sarfraz missed an opportunity to catch and stump him off a Nabi delivery. Delport grew in confidence and the duo added 62 in 10 overs before Umar Gul sent back Azhar (20).

Umar Akmal, promoted to No 3, was beaten all ends up off the first delivery by Zulfiqar. Replays were inconclusive of an edge but Sarfraz dropped the ball, taking out the question of an edge.

That started a boundary barrage with Delport taking the lead to complete a 42-ball 50. Few players in world cricket, however, can match Umar’s shot-making abilities. The short balls from Umar Gul were pulled away with disdain. Those that were pitched up were launched over the bowlers’ head.

Sarfraz turned to leggie Akbar Rehman but he was taken apart for a couple of sixes as Umar brought up a 22-ball 50, the fastest of the competition so far.

Delport, who survived another drop chance on 67, was eventually trapped LBW by Zulfiqar, attempting a reverse sweep for a 55-ball 73.

But there was no respite for Quetta from Umar, who took Gul apart for 19 runs to move into the 90s. The experienced pacer had leaked 50 runs off his four overs.

There was to be, however, no first century for the PSL, as Umar holed out at square leg off Anwar Ali, in the final over, seven short of the mark. But his blitz had ensured Lahore had posted the tournament’s highest total.

Quetta’s chase assumed the right tempo. Ahmed Shehzad and Luke Wright had sparkled in the league so far and looked to have luck on their side as well when Zafar dropped a straight forward return chance to send back Wright.

But in their quest to play the big shots, the duo fell within three balls of each other. Kevon Cooper beat Shehzad’s attempted drive and knocked over the off stump. Wright then timed a sweep off Zafar but hit it straight to Cooper at deep square leg.

Cooper was in the action once again as Kevin Pietersen’s attempted pull off a Bravo slower delivery went straight to him at deep square leg, sparking wild celebrations from the Lahore camp.

Sarfraz and Nawaz put on a rapid 74-run stand, lifting hopes of a Quetta fightback. Nawaz, in particular, was at his explosive best, hitting 20 runs of a Hammad Azam over.

But once Zohaib Khan had Sarfraz stumped for 31, the writing was on the wall. Nawaz then fell to Mendis for 42 as Quetta capitulated to lose their final seven wickets for 20 runs.

Scoreboard

LAHORE QALANDARS:

Azhar Ali c Akbar b Umar 20 C.S. Delport lbw b Zulfiqar 73 Umar Akmal c Akbar b Anwar 93 D.J. Bravo not out 5 Hammad Azam not out 0

EXTRAS (W-2, NB-1) 3

TOTAL (for three wkts, 20 overs) 194

FALL OF WKTS: 1-62, 2-157, 3-193.

DID NOT BAT: Mohammad Rizwan, Naved Yasin, Zohaib Khan K.K. Cooper, Zafar Gohar, B.A.W. Mendis.

BOWLING: Anwar Ali 4-0-27-1 (1w); Mohammad Nabi 4-0-37-0; Zulfiqar Babar 4-0-31-1; Mohammad Nawaz 3-0-31-0; Umar Gul 4-0-50-1 (1nb, 1w); Akbar-ur-Rehman 1-0-18-0.

QUETTA GLADIATORS:

L.J. Wright c Cooper b Zafar 4 Ahmed Shehzad b Cooper 15 K.P. Pietersen c Cooper b Bravo 12 Mohammad Nawaz st Rizwan b Mendis 42 Sarfraz Ahmed st Rizwan b Zohaib 31 Mohammad Nabi c Umar b Zafar 6 E. Chigumbura c Azhar b Mendis 3 Akbar-ur-Rehman st Rizwan b Zafar 3 Anwar Ali c Zafar b Mendis 3 Umar Gul c Umar b Zafar 0 Zulfiqar Babar not out 1

EXTRAS (B-3, LB-3, W-5) 11

TOTAL (all out, 16.2 overs) 131

FALL OF WKTS: 1-20, 2-26, 3-37, 4-111, 5-118, 6-122, 7-125, 8-129, 9-130.

BOWLING: Bravo 2-0-13-1; Zafar Gohar 3.2-0-14-4 (2w); Cooper 2-0-24-1 (2w); Zohaib Khan 4-0-32-1 (1w); Hammad Azam 2-0-25-0; Mendis 3-0-17-3.

RESULT: Lahore Qalandars won by 63 runs.

UMPIRES: Aleem Dar (Pakistan) and J.S. Wilson (West Indies).

TV UMPIRE: Shozab Raza (Pakistan).

MATCH REFEREE: Mohammad Anees (Pakistan).

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Umar Akmal.

Published in Dawn, February 10th, 2016