SHARJAH: Quetta Gladiators put on a thoroughly professional performance to defeat Karachi Kings by five wickets in their HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) group-stage encounter at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Saturday.

Gladiators’ bowlers, led by new arrival Grant Elliott’s 4-15, pulled back Karachi after a brisk start, before Ahmed Shehzad (41 off 27 balls, seven boundaries) set the tone for the chase.

Despite a flurry of wickets late in the game, the Gladiators cantered home with seven balls to spare with captain Sarfraz Ahmed (29 off 33, one four) guiding them. They now have 10 points and have assured themselves of a top-two finish in the league stage, thereby earning two shots at making the final.

About the only blemish for the Gladiators on a sleepy afternoon in Sharjah came when captain Sarfraz Ahmed called wrong at the coin toss. After playing Lahore Qalandars in front of a packed crowd on Friday, a half-full Sharjah stadium greeted Karachi Kings on Saturday.

But those present in the Kings camp, roared their approval as Shoaib Malik won the toss and for a change, elected to bat.

For a second game in a row, Malik walked out to open the innings and got going with two sweetly timed boundaries off Anwar Ali on either side of the wicket.

Malik’s fluency, however, didn’t rub off on opening partner Nauman Anwar, who encountered yet another failure in the tournament, playing all around a length delivery from Ali, losing his stumps in the process.

The Kings skipper, though, kept the pressure back on the bowling side by repeatedly stepping out to Zulfiqar Babar and hitting the left-arm spinner for sixes between long-off and deep extra-covers. James Vince, batting at three, picked up one of his own off Aizaz Cheema as Karachi put up 49 on the board at the end of the Powerplay.

And then the Elliott show began. Bowling a Bopara-esque mix of seam-up and slower deliveries, Elliott ensured the Kings batsmen were given no leeway to swing through the line and the run-rate was pulled back. The choke eventually got to Vince, who missed a wicket-to-wicket dibbly-dolly from Elliott and was castled.

Nabi picked up the big wicket of Malik, who failed to get the distance on a lofted shot and was consumed at long-on for a 38-ball 35.

A procession ensued. Elliott had a sluggish Shakib Al Hasan caught at deep cover before adding another two wickets in his next over — those of in-form Bopara and Sohail Tanvir — to finish with brilliant figures of 4-0-15-4.

The Kings had lost their last seven wickets for 34 runs, all but gifting the match on a platter to the Gladiators. They gave a better account of themselves in the second half of the chase with Usama Mir, Shakib and Imad Wasim getting four Gladiators batsmen out to avoid a total rout.

It was, however, a little too late for the Kings, who slipped to their fourth defeat in six games, further complicating their play-offs qualification as Elliott picked up the man-of-the-match.

At the time of fling this report, Peshawar Zalmi were playing Lahore Qalandars in the night fixture.

Scoreboard

KARACHI KINGS:

Nauman Anwar b Anwar 6 Shoaib Malik c Shehzad b Nabi 45 J.M. Vince b Elliott 23 Shakib Al Hasan c Aizaz b Elliott 10 R.S. Bopara c and b Elliott 14 Sohail Tanvir c Nawaz b Elliott 8 Mushfiqur Rahim c and b Aizaz 6 Imad Wasim run out 2 Usama Mir b Zulfiqar 0 Sohail Khan not out 7 Mir Hamza not out 0

EXTRAS (LB-4, W-1) 5

TOTAL (for nine wkts, 20 overs) 126

FALL OF WKTS: 1-16, 2-63, 3-86, 4-97, 5-111, 6-111, 7-113, 8-118, 9-120.

BOWLING: Anwar Ali 2-0-15-1; Zulfiqar Babar 4-0-29-1; Aizaz Cheema 3-0-22-1; Mohammad Nawaz 4-0-24-0 (1w); Elliott 4-0-15-4; Mohammad Nabi 2-0-17-1.

QUETTA GLADIATORS:

L.J. Wright c Mir Hamza b Imad 11 Ahmed Shehzad b Usama 41 K.P. Pietersen c Sohail Tanvir b Usama 26 Sarfraz Ahmed not out 29 G.D. Elliott lbw b Shakib 5 Mohammad Nawaz run out 6 Anwar Ali not out 5

EXTRAS (LB-3, W-1) 4

TOTAL (for five wkts, 18.5 overs) 127

FALL OF WKTS: 1-33, 2-66, 3-95, 4-103, 5-117.

DID NOT BAT: Akbar-ur-Rehman, Mohammad Nabi, Zulfiqar Babar, Aizaz Cheema.

BOWLING: Sohail Khan 4-0-28-0 (1w); Sohail Tanvir 1.5-0-11-0; Shakib Al Hasan 4-0-34-1; Imad Wasim 2-0-10-1; Usama Mir 4-0-27-2; Bopara 3-0-14-0.

RESULT: Quetta Gladiators won by five wickets.

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

TV UMPIRE: Aleem Dar (Pakistan).

MATCH REFEREE: Mohammad Anees (Pakistan).

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Grant Elliott (Quetta Gladiators).

Published in Dawn, February 14th, 2016