Dunk, Patel bat Qalandars to first win of 2020 edition

Ben Dunk and Samit Patel thrashed Quetta Gladiators bowler at Gddafi Stadium to give Lahore Qalandars an emphatic first win in the HBL Pakistan Super League 2020 edition Tuesday at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.

Qalandars bowlers also backed the effort of their batsmen as they bowled Gladiators for 172 in their pursuit of 210-run target as they registered their first win by 37 runs.

Qalandars scored 209-5, the biggest total by a team this season so far with Dunk hitting 10 sixes in his innings the most by a batsman in the PSL.

Quetta’s chase was off to a rocky start as left-arm spinner Samit Patel, after showing heroics with the bat, proved equally lethal with the ball as well when he took two quick wickets to put brake on Galdiators momentum. He removed danger man Jesson Roy who could score 12 runs off 11 balls and Gladiators captain Sarfaraz Ahmad after pacer Dilbar Hussain cut short the innings of one-down batsman Ahsan Ali.

Dilbar took the gas out of Gladiators chase when Shane Watson edged his delivery to wicketkeeper Dunk and Gladiators were reduced to 53-4. Watson made 23 off 17 balls hitting two sixes and a four. The man in form for Gladiators in this season Ben Cutting hit a quick-fire half century to raise hopes for his team’s fans but no other batsmen aided him in the cause. Cutting hit five sixes and three fours in his 27-ball 53 before Salman Irshad removed him.

For Qalandars, Salman took 4 wickets for 29 runs while Dilbar, Patel and M Faizan grabbed two wickets each conceding 11, 31 and 29 runs, respectively.

Quetta Gladiators captain Sarfaraz Ahmad Tuesday won the toss and have elected to field first against Lahore Qalandars in match number 16 of the event.

It was the 31st occasion that Sarfraz has won the toss in Pakistan Super League making him the luckiest captain among all and 29 times he decided to bowl first. Qalandars openers Fakhar Zaman and Chris Lynn started briskly but could not prolong their stay at the crease. Fakhar was first to go after scoring 15 runs off 14 balls when he went for a big hit against M Nawaz but was caught on long on by Anwar Ali.

Soon Qalandars were 49-2 when Lynn was caught behind by Sarfaraz Ahmed on a delivery of tournament’s leading wicket-taker M Hassnain. He scored 27 runs off 22 balls hitting a six and four boundaries.

When M Hafeez was caught by Shane Watson off Fawad Ahmed without disturbing the scorers to make it 50-3, it was feared the same old debacle of Qalandars they are notorious for.

But Dunk and Patil turned the game into it head as they thrashed all the Quetta bowlers all over the ground at will and Quetta were looking mere spectators in the ground.

Dunk hit 10 huge sixes to the delight of the crowd who were overwhelmingly supporting the home team Lahore Qalandars and also hit three boundaries in his 43-ball 93 runs innings before bowing out on very last ball of the innings. He sliced a Ben Cutting delivery to backward point where Ahsan Ali took the catch. Dunk’s 10 sixes were also most bay batsman in an innings in the PSL.

Patel was equally lethal as he scored 71 runs off 40 balls hitting two sixes and nine boundaries. He was eventually got out in the last over of the innings when he cut a Cutting’s delivery in the air to the sweeper cover and was taken superbly by Nawaz who jumped up and above his head and held on to the ball.

It was a nightmarish night for Gladiators bowlers as the best economy rate was of Fawad and Hasnain 7 and 8 respectively. Cutting took two wickets conceding 36 runs in three overs. Nawaz took 1 for 44 in his four overs Hasnain 1-32 and Fawwad 1-28. Naseem Shah leaked 48 runs in his four-over wicketless spell and Anwar Ali conceded 19 runs in one over he bowled.