The commentary is not available for this match. Please check the scorecard for latest updates.
This is Dwaipayan Mukherjee, signing off with my hard working co-commentator Rajarshi Das. See you soon!
So the defending champions remain at the bottom. It is a double header tomorrow, join us then!
Masood, Karachi captain: Two things you look to do at a new franchise - gets wins and build a local core. We're heading in the right direction. You always have margins to learn. We were brilliant in first 10. Pitch got better. Maybe we conceded 10-15 too many which put us in a spot of bother against a world class attack. It was heartening to see the two experienced campaigners get together when we thought we were down and out. For us the lesson is not to lose too many wickets early.
Kieron Pollard , Man of the Match : With experience, we knew we had to consolidate (when Malik and him joined forces at 44 for 4). The spinners were operating, so we focused on getting the scoreboard going and attacking when possible. When Linde came in, it made things easier. In the 13th or 14th over, that was a young guy bowling for them and that is when we decided to go. Over the years, I have played a lot, pressure plays a role but we have been in these situations on many occasions. Glad to get the job done.
Shaheen Afridi, Lahore Qalandars: I think Karachi played very well. The fact that the match went till the last ball indicates the quality of this tournament. PSL demands these high standards. Overall, it has been a great game. Fielders and bowlers and batters did amazing. Everyone stepped up to produce a thrilling contest. The partnership betwen Pollard and Malik was game changing for us. I think that is where we lost the match. Leaving the spinner till the end was also owing to the boundary at one side. But Hasan Ali went for the big shot that came off. That was the plan, to get the big wickets before we get till the last over. Hoping for Rauf to improve soon, he is an asset for Pakistan. It was not nice to see him leave the field in the manner that he did. I will go and check now to get a concrete update. Zaman always looks to get better with each passing day. It is heartening to see his performances.
Hasan Ali, Karachi Kings: We knew they had a fast bowler short, they had to give it to a spinner. I was waiting for that, thankfully, I hit that ball, and they were under pressure after that. I was trying to charge the first ball, would have been easy for us after that, and that's what happened. Good that it was in my slot, and I got it over the boundary. (On Kieron Pollard) He's been playing awesome cricket, we know he can hit the ball really hard. He played one of his mature innings today, credit goes to him - he should be man of the match! I've been working on my fitness over the last month at NCA - we have a new trainer there, Hussain Mirza, and I've improved my diet, my routine, my discipline, and which is why I look fitter. I have been playing with Phil Simmons in 2017 for St. Lucia. I really like him, and I know he loves me a lot. When I went to play the CPL after the 2017 Champions Trophy, he admired me a lot. He's a nice personality, nice guy. There were a few basic things I needed to work on, I took break from the BPL last month to work on it.
Karachi Kings (176/8) defeat Lahore Qalandars (175/6) by 2 wickets
Kieron Pollard - 58 (33) | Shoaib Malik - 39 (32) Zaman Khan - 2/25 | Ahsan Bhatti - 2/19
This has been nerve-wracking stuff. Not for the faint-hearted. This one went right down till the wire. What a game of cricket!
4 wickets were lost in the powerplay and Lahore Qalandars believed they had a chance of winning their first match of this season right there. It all began with a horrible misunderstanding between Shan Masood and Akhlaq, which culminated in the walking back of the skipper of Karachi Kings, who did not like it one bit. When Akhlaq was dismissed later in the 5th over, surely he would have found the farthest possible spot from his skipper in that pavilion.
Zaman Khan, Ahsan Bhatti were also in the wickets column early on in the innings which pushed back the Karachi chase. James Vince scored a couple of boundaries in the first over sent down by left arm spinner Bhatti, which also included a missed catch by Shai Hope but the Englishman was knocked over before he could inflict major damage.
At 44 for 4, things were looking rather bleak for Karachi Kings. That is when Kieron Pollard and Shoaib Malik, who have more than 25,000 runs between them in this format, decided to take matters into their own hands. It was a terrific half-century for Kieron Pollard as he took down different bowlers for towering sixes right from the beginning.
If it was George Linde who had to face his brunt at the initial phases of his knock, Jahandad faced his wrath in the 15th over that also saw the Caribbean bring up his 60th T20 half century. Shaheen Afridi broke the 95 run stand between Pollard and Malik at a phase in the 16th over which was crucial. With Pollard back in the hut, Malik also fell in the subsequent over with Afridi catching it safely in Haris Rauf's last over.
Hasan Ali, Irfan Khan ensured that they somehow manage to get the job done. This has been a truly memorable match. It will be remembered for a long time. So many twists and turns, no one could have guessed what was going to happen next. Allow yourselves a breather!
20
overs
179/8score
6
1
2
1
W
4
runs
Mir Hamza*
4(1)
Irfan Khan
13(10)
Ahsan Hafeez
2/22
19.6 Ahsan Bhatti to Mir Hamza, the deftest of edges, and Karachi claim a last-ball thriller! The crowd at Gaddafi is STUNNED INTO SILENCE! The Karachi Kings camp is delirious, and Hamza is pumped! Bhatti fires this one on a length marginally outside off, Hamza looked to rock back, cut, got the most prominent of edges - the ball sneaked past the third man region and made its way to the ropes - the boundary won't count - the batters completed the winning run before that! The Kings left it very late, they take all 20 overs, but they get past the line with two wickets to spare!
DRAMA! DRAMA! DRAMA! 1 run needed from the last ball!
Video
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R der Dussen
S Malik
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Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
Mir Hamza
*
Ahsan Hafeez
