Recent Match Report – Gladiators vs Qalandars 4th Match 2020/21

115-track pit made light work of a stiff target as the Qalandars remain undefeated

Lahore Qalandars 179 to 1 (Zaman 82 *, Hafeez 73 *) beat Quetta Gladiators 178 for 6 (Gayle 68, Sarfaraz 40, Rauf 3-38) through nine counters

It might just have been a T20 game, but it felt like an epic as Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Hafeez kicked Quetta Gladiators out of the contest. Centuries ago, or at least it seemed, Chris Gayle hit his highest PSL score, 68 out of 40 balls – helped by several lost catches along the way – to help Quetta display 178, the highest first inning. marking this tournament. It looked like a win total then, but an astonishing attack from Hafeez and Zaman helped Lahore Qalandars do the short work of the target, and they got there with more than one over to spare.

Hafeez was particularly destructive, grabbing play that had seemed to drift by the skin, forcing a demand rate that had soared above 11 below a run-a-ball in the space of three overs. It was like cricket at the end; the six and four that Hafeez was hitting seemed to come as easily as the buttons of a keyboard, with the apoplectic rage of Quetta Sarfaraz Ahmed’s skipper visible to cameras around the world. The second wicket partnership, unbeaten by 115 points, got just 58 balls, with Hafeez responsible for scoring 73 of the 33 deliveries he faced.

After being batted, Quetta reorganized the batting lineup even though they didn’t make any changes. Banton and Saim Ayub fell once again, with Lahore Qalandars allowing them just 38 races in the Powerplay, but Gayle and Sarfaraz would build up a 101-race partnership that would put Quetta back on track. Sarfaraz appeared to be timing the ball slower than it has been in evidence for some time, and while Gayle isn’t at his best, that hasn’t stopped him clubbing five fours and as many sixes on the way to the top. scoring for his side. Mohammad Nawaz made an appearance at the end and Quetta had all the momentum by then, but Hafeez and Fakhar had other ideas.

Star of the day

There was spice in the contest after a recent exchange between Hafeez and Sarfaraz on social media. When Hafeez was called in to play with Quetta’s captain in the crease, there was added risk in the game. While Sarfaraz kept him away for a few limits on his second stint, the 40-year-old would do more than just get him back with the bat.

Hafeez would later tell Gayle that he didn’t have the muscles to beat like he did, but what Hafeez has in his repertoire most could only covet. With barely a stroke that seemed to have been played with anger, he stroked – that word is put to good use – his way to his fastest half-century PSL, with just 24 balls, capitalizing on a finicky bowling and drop. quite simple on the border by young Saim Ayub. With the requested rate dropping so rapidly that it might have taken a parachute, it accelerated even further, finishing with 23 more deliveries out of just nine, the winner foolishly driving for additional cover from young Mohammad Hasnain.

It shows why Hafeez continues to support himself to be part of Pakistan’s plans in the T20 world, and if he is in that kind of contact, he will play a central role in his franchise’s hopes of finally clinching a PSL title.

Miss of the day

In a game that was perhaps defined as much by errors as by individual brilliance, many competed for this role. Agha Salman was the first favorite, dropping Gayle twice at the Cow’s Corner in what appeared to be turning points, while Tom Banton and Saim Ayub fell earlier once again and each brought Fakhar and Hafeez to the ground a times. But the third plus of Usman Shinwari, who fled 19 at a time Lahore needed more than 11 to seal victory, marked the moment when the game finally turned as Quetta surrendered in spectacular fashion.

Sarfaraz, perhaps fueled by personal ambition to have one on Hafeez, would continue to publicly berate Shinwari after that, and as the Four and Six rained down his mood would only deteriorate. The negativity around the side of the field teams seemed to have doomed them long before the winning points were hit, and it already looks like Quetta might have a tough job if they want to turn things around.

Honorable mention

Zaman was the man of the match, by the way, and at 82 of 52 it’s a round that deserves more than to be overshadowed by Hafeez’s brilliance. It would relieve the pressure superbly as Sohail Akhtar on the other end struggled to get started, making sure the required rate didn’t get out of hand at first. And when Hafeez joined him, he was by no means second violin, continuing to show why, even though his international form remains uneven, he remains one of PSL’s most sought-after players.