Malik’s last-ball Drama Karachi VS Lahore
The Lahore Qalandars Despite conceding just five runs in the first five balls in the last over, Zaman Khan was unable to finish it off.Lahore Qalandars 177 for 5 (Shafique 55, Zaman 54, Mahmood 2-27) were defeated by Karachi Kings 179 for 7 (Vince 42, Irfan 35, Abbas 2-23) by three wickets.
In the Pakistan Super League on Saturday, Karachi Kings faced the two-time champion Lahore Qalandars and needed to win. Shoaib Malik scored a boundary off the final ball to give Karachi Kings a three-wicket lead.
The win kept alive the Kings’ hopes of a place in the playoffs with eight points from nine games. Qalandars were already eliminated, beating only Quetta Gladiators and losing seven games in the absence of injured spinner Rashid Khan.
With three runs needed off the last delivery, Malik (27 not out) drove fast bowler Zaman Khan’s low full toss through point to guide his team to a winning 179 for 7 in a tense finish.
Qalandars had posted 177 for 5 on the back of half centuries from Abdullah Shafique (55) and Fakhar Zaman (54) after the Kings captain Shan Masood won the toss and chose to field.
After having trouble opening in his first season as the team’s captain, Masood decided to drop to No. 3, and it paid off as Tim Seifert (36), along with James Vince (42) and other experienced players, contributed a solid start of 59.
However, Qalandars rallied when Kieron Pollard (3) was decisively removed by fast bowler Tayyab Abbas (2-23) and Seifert was run out following a significant miscommunication with Malik.
Before the Qalandars captain Shaheen Shah Afridi (1-37) threw back his middle stump in the last over, Irfan Khan struck a quick 35 from 16 balls with six boundaries. Zaman gave up just five runs in his opening five deliveries, but Malik remained composed to give the Kings the victory with the very next delivery.
