Zaman smashes 94 in Qalandars' win

DUBAI (92 News) – Opener Fakhar Zaman blasted a 50-ball 94 to lead Lahore Qalandars to a 17-run win over Quetta Gladiators in the Twenty20 Pakistan Super League in Sharjah last night. Zaman's whirlwind knock, which consisted nine fours and six sixes, helped Qalandars reach a mammoth total of 186-4. After being sent into bat, Fakhar provided a solid start adding 43 runs for the opening wicket with Anton Devcich (18). Nicknamed the 'Fauji,' which means 'soldier,' the former Navy man unleashed a brutal yet clinical assault on the Quetta Gladiators bowling attack at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Wednesday night. And a first century in this edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and only the second in the tournament's history, was there for the taking for the southpaw. Opener Zaman, though, fell short by six runs but his 94 aced the previous best of 90 not out scored by Quetta Gladiators' Shane Watson against the Karachi Kings. Zaman's stellar innings proved to be the highlight in what was an inconsequential fixture. The Quetta Gladiators had already booked their ticket for the play-offs, while the slow-burning Lahore Qalandars, rooted at the bottom of the table, were playing for pride. And pride, Zaman did give, with that epic knock and it was enough to fire up the Lahore Qalandars. For the record, the Lahore Qalandars beat the Quetta Gladiators by 17 runs for their third win in nine games. The Lahore Qalandars were two for 53 and then three down for 73 after being told to have the first go on the surface. And it was all building up towards another one of their epic collapses. Zaman brought up his half-century, his first in this edition, from 36 balls, with five boundaries and two sixes. There was more to come as Zaman smoked Rahat Ali for three sixes and a boundary as 24 runs came from the 15th over. Having moved to 94, Zaman went for broke but could only manage to shove Anwar Ali down Hasan Khan's throat at long-off. On the other hand, two matches of the tournament will be played in Sharja today (Thursday). In the first match, Peshawar Zalmi will take on Karachi Kings at 4:30 pm PST, while in the second match Quetta Gladiators will face Islamabad United at 9pm PST. Islamabad United are at top of points table so far.   Brief scores: Lahore Qalandars: 186 for 4 in 20 overs (Fakhar Zaman 94, Gulraiz Sadaf 42 not out, Sunil Narine 20 not out, Anton Devcich 18) beat Quetta Gladiators: 169 for 6 in 20 overs (Rilee Rossouw 42, Jason Roy 36, Sarfraz Ahmed 28 not out, Sunil Narine 2-22, Yasir Shah 2-35) by 17 runs.