Nafee’s Unbeaten 60 Leads Gladiators to Thrilling Win Over Qalandars

News Desk

Islamabad: In the fourth match of Pakistan Super League (PSL) Season 9, Quetta Gladiators emerged victorious against defending champions Lahore Qalandars by five wickets.

Quetta successfully chased down Lahore’s target of 188 runs with 5 balls to spare, finishing at 193/5 in the match held at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.

Khawaja Nafee played a pivotal role in Quetta’s victory, contributing an unbeaten 60 runs from 31 balls, including 3 sixes and 4 fours. Other notable contributions came from Saud Shakeel (40), Jason Roy (24), Riley Russo (18), Sharafane Rutherford (14), and Sarfaraz Ahmed (11).

Bowlers from Lahore Qalandars, including Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan, Fayaz Salman, and Sikandar Raza, managed to take 1 wicket each.

This marks Lahore Qalandars’ second consecutive defeat in PSL 9, with their first loss coming against Islamabad United in the opening match where they were defeated by 8 wickets.

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In the toss, Lahore Qalandars elected to bat first, posting a total of 187/7 in 20 overs. Sahibzada Farhan top-scored with 62 runs, while Jahan Dad Khan played an explosive unbeaten innings of 45 runs. Quetta Gladiators’ bowlers, including Mohammad Hasnain and Aqeel Hussain, took 2 wickets each, while Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Wasim, and Abrar Ahmed claimed one wicket each.

Captain Shaheen Shah Afridi mentioned two changes in the Lahore Qalandars team, with Lorcan Tucker and David Vaisaki replacing Carlos Brathwaite and Sikandar Raza. Quetta Gladiators made no changes to their lineup.

It was revealed that Lahore Qalandars rested all-rounder David Wasa due to a slight leg pain. The team included players like Shaheen Afridi, Fakhar Zaman, Sahibzada Farhan, Rasi van der Deusen, Abdullah Shafiq, Salman Fayyaz, Carlos Brathwaite, Jahan Dad Khan, Haris Rauf, and Zaman Khan in the final eleven.

In the previous match, Quetta Gladiators secured a victory against Peshawar Zalmi by 16 runs. Lahore Qalandars’ XI has faced three defeats in their last five PSL matches, while Quetta Gladiators have won three out of their last five encounters.

Additionally, Shaheen Afridi’s team has won three of the last five matches played against Quetta Gladiators.