Ingram guides Karachi Kings to six-wicket win over Quetta Gladiators
SHARJAH (92 News) – Former South African batsman Colin Ingram notched the highest individual score of HBL PSL history to lift Karachi Kings from the jaws of defeat to pull off a six wicket win over Quetta Gladiators in Sharjah on Sunday.
Ingram smashed eight sixes and a dozen boundaries during his epic 59-ball 127 not out as Karachi Kings overhauled a target of 187 with eight balls to spare and hand Quetta their first defeat in five games.
With 16 needed off last Anwar Ali over, first Ben Dunk (15 not out off nine balls with a six and four) hit a six and then took a single to allow Ingram hit a boundary and then sent the ball sailing over long-on to leave Quetta stunned.
The win lifted the gloom in Karachi camp as they registered their second win in five matches and after three defeats in a row. They are now fifth in the table, which Quetta continued to top with eight points after five games (four win and one defeat).
Peshawar are now second in the six-team table, having six points (three wins in five matches). Defending champions Islamabad United are third (six points in five), Lahore Qalandars are fourth with four points in five (two wins and three losses), Multan are sixth (two points from five, with one win and four defeats).
With 114 needed in the last ten overs and Karachi losing grip, Ingram cut loose. He hit two boundaries and a six off pacer Ghulam Mudassar and smacked three sixes off spinner Mohammad Nawaz to bring the target down to 54 in last six.
He took a single off Sohail Tanvir to bring up the joint fastest hundred in all HBL PSL editions. Islamabad United's Sharjeel Khan scored a hundred against Peshawar off 50 balls in 2016.
This becomes the first hundred in HBL PSL by a foreign player. Peshawar's Kamran Akmal has scored the other two hundreds in the HBL PSL editions.
Umar Akmal led the Quetta's onslaught with a fiery 37-ball 55 which had five sixes to take them to 186-5 in 20 overs. Rilee Rossouw made 32-ball 44 with four boundaries and a six. But it was Anwar Ali who gave the real impetus to the innings with his six-ball 27 not out inclusive of four sixes.
Chasing a daunting 9.35 run-per-over target Karachi were in tatters at 4-2 as they lost their key batsmen Babar Azam off the very first ball, playing straight into the hands of covers off Sohail Tanvir. Colin Munro fell to another low score as he punched a long hop from Mohammad Nawaz to square-leg.
Ingram added 50 for the third wicket with Awais Zia who made a laborious 21-ball 19. Ingram reached his first fifty off 31 balls -- Karachi's only third in five matches -- with a boundary.
It was a sixes galore in Quetta's innings as they smashed 12 sixes off a hapless Karachi attack.
Aamer Yamin, who took 3-37, removed Ahsan Ali for seven before Umar added 47 for the second wicket with Shane Watson who made 24-ball 25 with two sixes and as many boundaries.
Umar was savaged against bowlers, hitting two sixes off spinner Umer Khan in the ninth over to start the run-spree. He added another quick 63 for the third wicket with Rossouw who was Yamin's second wicket.
Umar then dispatched two over the boundary off Munro and then another of Yamin to reach his second fifty of the tournament off 36 deliveries before Yamin had him caught in the deep.
Quetta added 99 in the last ten, 58 in five and 42 in the last three as Anwar smashed two sixes off Yamin in the 18th which yielded 20 and another two off Mohammad Amir in the final.
Earlier, Peshawar Zalmi downed Multan Sultans by seven wickets.
The tournament will resume in Dubai after a day's rest on Tuesday when Multan will play Islamabad in a single match.
