RAWALPINDI: Karachi Kings secured a comprehensive seven-wicket victory over Quetta Gladiators in match 22 of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) Season 9 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Wednesday, ensuring their play-off qualification remains intact.
The Shane Masood-led side, reeling from three consecutive losses, dominated Quetta and restricted them to 118 after opting to bat first and successfully chased down the target in the 16th over.
The start of the chase was not good, Shana (7) was dismissed by Mohammad Amir. But Tim Siefert and James Vince had other plans. They brought up 50 runs with Seifert being aggressive.
Akeal Hosein got the better of Vince (28) but Siefert continued to play the stroke while Shoaib Malik stayed on till the end of the match.
Siefert was one run short of his fifty, while Malik was not out on 27.
Earlier, Hasan Ali claimed four wickets and conceded 15 runs in his spell. Blessing Muzarabani dismissed Jason Roy (15) to open the account for Karachi.
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Saud Shakeel and Khawaja Nafay put on a 47-run partnership for the second wicket in 36 balls before Hasan Ali took his first wicket to send Shakeel back to the pavilion.
Shakeel became the top scorer for Quetta Gladiators with a promising innings of 33 runs off 28 balls which included two fours and two sixes.
Ali struck again, removing Nafay (17), triggering a collapse as Quetta Gladiators struggled to recover from a double-wicket failure.
Then skipper Rilee Rossouw played a cautious innings of 10 runs off 16 balls while Akeal Hosein contributed a six during his quick-fire 14-run cameo in 13 balls.
No other batsman could withstand tight bowling from Karachi Kings as Quetta Gladiators closed their innings for 118 in the last over when they were 65-1 at one point.
Hasan Ali led the attack for Karachi Kings, finishing with figures of 4-15, while Muzarabani and Zahid Mahmood took two wickets each.
