Lahore Qalandars came back from 50 for 7 to post 148 for 7 on the board and then restricted Quetta Gladiators for a remarkable 17-run victory in the Pakistan Super League on Thursday.
Lahore's comeback was possible because of Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza's blistering 71 off 34 balls in the backend of their innings.
Leg-spinner Rashid Khan (2 for 14) and David Wiese (1 for 22) strangled Quetta's run-chase in the middle-overs before Haris Rauf (3 for 22) further squeezed the opposition in the death overs as Quetta could only reach 131 for 7.
Lahore tops the table with 10 points with their only defeat coming against Karachi Kings. Quetta are in danger of losing the playoff spot with just one victory in six games.
Quetta seemed to have picked the best set of bowlers when they snared four wickets inside the six overs of batting powerplay before claiming three more wickets in the next four overs.
Opening batter Fakhar Zaman was one of the three batters to get run out as fast bowlers Naveen-ul-Haq (2-36) of Afghanistan and Umaid Asif (1-36) both impressed in their first game of the season.
Surprisingly, Lahore skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi pushed himself up to No. 5 before he too got run-out after making run-a-ball 16.
Raza and Rashid (21) revived Lahore with a 69-run stand dominated by the Zimbabwean batter, who smashed eight fours and three sixes before Quetta wrapped up the innings when No. 11 batter Zaman Khan was also run-out in the last over.
Quetta had a perfect powerplay and reached 53-1, losing the sole wicket of Yasir Khan (14) before Rashid struck in his second over when he had top-scorer Will Smeed (32) trapped leg before wicket.
Rashid then got dangerman Iftikhar Ahmed (3) caught behind and Martin Guptill, pushed down the order, tried to break through but holed out in the deep of Wiese as Quetta couldn’t get back the momentum.
Quetta skipper Sarfaraz made a laborious 27-ball 28 as their chase died after the boundaries dried up because of regular fall of wickets.
(With agency inputs)
