Quetta Gladiators clinched a thrilling victory over Karachi Kings by 5 wickets in a nail-biting encounter at the National Stadium, Karachi, thanks to a last-ball heroics from Sherfane Rutherford.
Rilee Rossouw won the toss and opted to field first, putting Karachi Kings into bat. Shan Masood and Tim Seifert opened the innings, with left-arm spinner Akeal Hossain delivering the new ball. However, Shan’s wicket fell on the third ball, bowled clean by Hossain.
Despite the early setback, James Vince’s aggressive batting, including three boundaries off Akeal’s over, propelled Karachi Kings forward. Fast bowler Sohail Khan also faced the brunt, conceding 15 runs in the following over, courtesy of Seifert’s onslaught.
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Leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed struggled to contain the hitters, conceding three consecutive boundaries in the fifth over. The powerplay ended with Karachi Kings standing at 61-1.
In the seventh over, off-spinner Usman Tariq turned the game around by taking two crucial wickets of Seifert and Vince. Mohammad Nawaz then took charge, hitting Mohammad Wasim for three consecutive boundaries in the 10th over, taking Karachi Kings to 91-3.
However, Karachi Kings could only add 29 runs in the next five overs, losing the wickets of Shoaib Malik and Nawaz in the process. Abrar Ahmed further dented their innings by taking two wickets in the 16th over, dismissing Kieron Pollard and Hasan Ali.
Irfan Khan Niazi’s dismissal in the 17th over halted Karachi Kings’ momentum. Anwar Ali’s two sixes in the final over helped them post a total of 165-8.
Quetta Gladiators’ innings began with Jason Roy and Saud Shakeel opening. Mohammad Nawaz bowled the first over, but Roy’s aggressive batting, including three consecutive boundaries, propelled Quetta to 34-0 in three overs.
Although Quetta lost their first wicket on the last ball of the powerplay, they managed to reach 57-1 in the first six overs. Khawaja Nafay fell in the 9th over, followed by Sarfaraz Ahmed’s dismissal in the 10th over, leaving Quetta at 83-3.
Despite Roy’s half-century, Shoaib Malik’s crucial wicket in the 12th over shifted the momentum. Rutherford’s explosive innings, including two sixes and a four in the final over, secured Quetta’s victory. He was named the Player of the Match for his match-winning knock of 58*.
