Summary Fakhar Zaman’s brilliant century leads Lahore Qalandars to a tense nine-run victory over Quetta Gladiators in PSL 11 despite fighting half-centuries in the chase.
LAHORE (Dunya News) – Lahore Qalandars secured a dramatic nine-run victory over Quetta Gladiators in the 30th match of Pakistan Super League 11 at Gaddafi Stadium on Tuesday, holding their nerve in a tense final over after a high-scoring contest.
Chasing a challenging target of 198, Quetta Gladiators finished on 188-7 in their 20 overs despite spirited half-centuries from Shamyl Hussain and Rilee Rossouw. Lahore’s bowling unit delivered under pressure, with Haris Rauf sealing the result in the final over.
The Gladiators made a confident start to their chase, with openers Shamyl Hussain and captain Saud Shakeel putting together a fluent 49-run partnership. The stand was broken by Sikandar Raza, who dismissed Saud for 17 off 17 balls, including three boundaries.
Shamyl continued to anchor the innings, forming a steady partnership with Rossouw as the Gladiators crossed the 50-run mark. The young opener brought up his third PSL half-century in impressive fashion, keeping his side firmly in contention.
However, his promising innings ended in the 10th over when a sharp piece of fielding from Daniel Sams resulted in a run-out, with wicketkeeper Haseebullah Khan completing the dismissal. Shamyl scored 53 off 31 balls, striking five fours and three sixes, leaving Quetta at 88-2.
Momentum briefly shifted further when Haris Rauf dismissed Hasan Nawaz for a first-ball duck on the very next delivery. Rossouw then took charge alongside Khawaja Nafay, accelerating the scoring and pushing the total beyond 100.
Rossouw was in dominant form, playing an aggressive knock that included five fours and five sixes as he reached his 13th PSL half-century. His 62 off just 29 balls kept Quetta in the hunt before Ubaid Shah removed him in the 15th over, reducing the Gladiators to 149-5.
The chase began to falter as wickets fell in quick succession. Bevon Jacobs was dismissed cheaply by Shaheen Afridi, while Brett Hampton fell to a precise yorker from Rauf after scoring seven.
With 19 runs required from the final over, Abrar Ahmed attempted to keep Quetta in the contest, striking boundaries and finishing unbeaten on 24 off 14 balls. However, Rauf conceded only nine runs in the final over to secure victory, with Alzarri Joseph contributing three runs at the end.
Earlier, Lahore Qalandars posted 197-6 after opting to bat first, powered by a commanding century from Fakhar Zaman and valuable support from Charith Asalanka.
The innings began cautiously as Khalil Ahmed provided an early breakthrough, dismissing Mohammad Farooq for four. Fakhar Zaman and Abdullah Shafique then rebuilt the innings with a composed 57-run partnership, stabilising the scoring rate.
Abrar Ahmed broke the stand by removing Shafique for 14, but Fakhar continued to dominate the bowling attack. The left-handed opener reached his 26th PSL half-century with a series of fluent strokes before building another crucial partnership with Asalanka.
The pair added 96 runs for the third wicket, taking Lahore past the 150 mark and putting them in a strong position. Asalanka contributed 31 off 24 balls, including three fours and a six, before being dismissed by Brett Hampton.
Fakhar went on to register his third PSL century, producing a superb innings of 103 off 51 balls. His knock featured 11 fours and six sixes and laid the foundation for Lahore’s competitive total. He was eventually dismissed by Usman Tariq with the score at 164-4.
Khalil Ahmed returned to claim his second wicket, removing Sikandar Raza for five, while late wickets briefly slowed Lahore’s progress. Captain Shaheen Afridi was run out for eight by Alzarri Joseph.
Daniel Sams provided a late flourish, remaining unbeaten on 18 off 12 balls, as Lahore closed their innings at 197-6.
Fakhar Zaman was named Player of the Match for his match-defining century, which proved decisive in a closely contested encounter.
