PSL 2020: Lahore Qalandars beat Karachi Kings by 8 wickets

Lahore Qalandars opt to bowl first against Karachi Kings

LAHORE (Dunya News) – Lahore Qalandars beat Karachi Kings by eight wickets in the 23rd match of the fifth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) in Lahore.

Ben Dunk’s six-hitting masterclass helped Lahore Qalandars storm past Karachi Kings by eight wickets in Lahore. Dunk posted an unbeaten 99, which consisted of three boundaries and twelve towering sixes. 

With 188 to win, Lahore were off to a worst possible start when they lost the wicket of Fakhar Zaman. Mohammad Hafeez, batting at No 3, struggled big time to score at a quicker rate, which in turn put the pressure on the home side.

Dunk, walking in to bat at 50 for 2, turned the heat on with a six-hitting frenzy. He was well supported by skipper Sohail Akhtar, who ended up on unbeaten 68 off 46 balls.

Dunk first took Umer Khan to the cleaners with three sixes in his one over before taking skipper Imad Wasim to the cleaners in the 16th over. With four required off the last over, Dunk smashed a straight six off Cameron Delport to finish on 99* and finish the game in style.

Earlier, Alex Hales (80 off 48) and Chadwick Walton (45 off 20) turned the heat on with some blistering ball striking to lift their side to a competitive total on a flat batting wicket in Lahore.

Sharjeel Khan was caught well short of his ground at the non-striker’s end when he tried to sneak a quick single.

Babar Azam then scored 38 off 29 deliveries (including six fours) before he was removed by a very ordinary ball from Maaz Khan. But there wasn’t a lot to worry with Hales and Walton taking care of the Karachi innings. 

Toss

Karachi Kings have won back to back games in PSL 2020 before their previous game got abandon due to rain. They have gained consistency in their performances at the right time when play-off dates are approaching near.

So far, they have defeated Peshawar Zalmi twice and once they outclassed Islamabad United. Kings are coming out with a great team effort due to which the other teams are finding difficulty in defeating them.

On the other hand, Lahore Qalandars looks pretty miserable in this edition of the tournament. They are consistently performing poor in every respective department of the game.

None of their players has managed to find their grooves due to which Qalandars have suffered.

Squads 

Karachi Kings: Sharjeel Khan, Babar Azam, Alex Hales, Chadwick Walton (wk), Cameron Delport, Imad Wasim (capt.), Aamer Yamin, Chris Jordan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Amir, Umer Khan.

Lahore Qalandars: Fakhar Zaman, Sohail Akhtar (capt.), Mohammad Hafeez, Ben Dunk, Dane Vilas (wk), Samit Patel, David Wiese, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Salman Irshad, Usman Shinwari, Maaz Khan.