Qalandars register first win of PSL 10 by beating Gladiators

RAWALPINDI – Lahore Qalandars delivered an excellent performance with both bat and ball, defeating Quetta Gladiators by 67 runs in the fourth match of Pakistan Super League (PSL 10) at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Sunday night.
In the fourth match of the PSL, played in Rawalpindi, Quetta Gladiators won the toss and invited Lahore Qalandars to bat first.
Thanks to Fakhar Zaman’s 67 and Sam Billings’ 50, Lahore Qalandars posted a total of 219 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in their allotted 20 overs, setting a target of 220 runs for the Gladiators.
Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Naeem opened the innings for Qalandars. Mohammad Naeem scored 10 runs before being clean-bowled by Abrar Ahmed, falling as the first wicket at a total of 17.
Fakhar Zaman scored 67 runs off 39 balls, hitting 7 fours and 3 sixes, setting the tone for a big total. Abdullah Shafique and Daryl Mitchell contributed 37 runs each before getting out.
Sam Billings played well in the final overs and remained not out with a half-century.
Quetta Gladiators’ bowlers failed to restrict Qalandars to a modest total. However, the spinners bowled well, with Akeal Hosein and Abrar Ahmed taking 2 wickets each.
Chasing a target of 220, the Gladiators’ innings started poorly. Saud Shakeel was dismissed for just 1 run with the team score at 2, falling to Shaheen Afridi.
Finn Allen was dismissed for a duck, also by Shaheen Afridi, and Hasan Nawaz was out for 1 run by Asif Afridi — leaving Gladiators at 9 for 3.
Kusal Mendis tried to stabilize the innings with a responsible knock but was caught out for 28 runs off Haris Rauf with the team score at 54. Rilee Rossouw, who top-scored with 44, was clean-bowled by Akeal Hosein, leaving Gladiators at 89 for 5 in 8.5 overs.
After that, Shoaib Malik, Akeal Hosein, Mohammad Amir, and Abrar Ahmed fell for 106, 107, 108, and 114 runs respectively. Faheem Ashraf was the last notable contributor, scoring 21 runs before being dismissed at 140.
The Gladiators were bowled out for 140 runs in 16.2 overs. Rilee Rossouw was the top scorer with 44 runs.
For Qalandars, Akeal Hosein took 3 wickets, while Sikandar Raza, Asif Afridi, and Shaheen Afridi picked up 2 wickets each, and Haris Rauf claimed 1 wicket.
Squads
Lahore Qalandars: Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Naeem, Abdullah Shafique, Daryl Mitchell, Sam Billings, Sikandar Raza, Jahandad Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Rashid Hussain, Haris Rauf, Asif Afridi.
Quetta Gladiators: Saud Shakeel, Finn Allen, Hasan Nawaz, Kusal Mendis, Rilee Rossouw, Shoaib Malik, Faheem Ashraf, Akeal Hosein, Mohammad Amir, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Tariq.
Points Table
On the points table, Quetta Gladiators are at the top with 4 points, having won one match.
Islamabad United is in second place with 2 points from one victory.
Karachi Kings are in third, Multan Sultans fourth, Lahore Qalandars fifth and Peshawar Zalmi sixth.