With Multan Sultans, Peshawar Zalmi, and Islamabad United already securing their playoff berths, all eyes turned to the Quetta Gladiators as they faced the Lahore Qalandars, who were asked to bowl first by skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi. In the absence of Fakhar Zaman, Lahore opted for Sahibzada Farhan and Mirza Tahir Baig as openers.
The duo started strongly, racing Lahore to 38/0 within five overs. However, Quetta’s spin wizard Abrar Ahmad turned the tide by dismissing both openers in a single over, leaving Lahore at 39/2 by the end of the powerplay, with Shai Hope and Abdullah Shafique at the crease.
The pressure intensified as Hope fell in the tenth over, but Shaheen and Shafique steadied the ship with a 53-run partnership, guiding Lahore to 122/3 by the fifteenth over. Shaheen and Shafique both reached their half-centuries, with Shaheen departing in the final over as Lahore finished at 166/4.
Quetta’s chase began strongly, with Jason Roy and Saud Shakeel taking the score to 39/0 within five overs. However, Lahore managed to break through with Roy’s dismissal at 43/1 by the end of the powerplay. Shakeel and Khwaja Nafay then built a strong partnership, pushing Quetta to 88/2 by the 12th over.
Shakeel reached his second fifty of the season in 44 deliveries, and the pair continued to dominate, taking the score to 132/2 by the 17th over. Khawaja’s departure left Quetta needing 29 runs from the last two overs, with Laurie Evans and Shakeel at the crease.
Evans and Shakeel managed 15 runs off the penultimate over, setting up a thrilling finale with 15 needed off the last over, bowled by Shaheen. Although Evans fell to the first ball, Shakeel kept his composure, hitting two consecutive boundaries to reduce the target to five off two balls. After a single off the next delivery, all eyes were on Mohammad Waseem Jr as Quetta needed four runs off the final ball.
What did we just witness⁉️
— PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) March 10, 2024
Gladiator Wasim Jnr taking Quetta to the playoffs in style 😱👊#HBLPSL9 | #KhulKeKhel | #QGvLQ pic.twitter.com/X7Yi2DtQeZ
In a moment of excitement, Wasim smashed a six towards deep mid-wicket, sealing victory for Quetta and sparking celebrations at the National Stadium in Karachi. Mentor Sir Viv Richards couldn’t contain his joy and rushed from the dugout to embrace Wasim for his remarkable finish, securing Quetta Gladiators’ spot in the playoffs.
