PSL 2018: Lahore Qalandars Clinch a Super-Over-Thriller Amidst Chaos

The backend of group stages of Pakistan Super League (PSL) saw nerve-racking thriller between Lahore Qalandars and Karachi Kings.

Albeit, the fixture was filled with chaos and confusion in the deciding stages of the clash.

Karachi Kings posted a total 163 after putting into bat, losing the toss. West Indies international Lendl Simmons and Babar Azam starred in the innings with their respective half-centuries.

Sohail Khan impressed one and with the ball, as he ended up with three wickets. Anton Devcich started off the proceedings for the Qalandars up front with his quickfire cameo.

After losing the Kiwi, Fakhar Zaman and Agha Salman looked to take their side to a comfortable victory before a collapse in the middle put the brakes on the proceedings.

From 103-2, LQ was reduced to 141-6. With 16 runs needed off the last over bowled by left-arm pacer Usman Khan, Sohail Akhtar kept his side in the match by scoring 12 of the first three deliveries.

Which meant the men in green needed four off the last couple of deliveries, thanks to a run out on the fourth ball of the over which ended up being a dot ball.

The penultimate delivery was a brilliantly bowled yorker, as only one run was scored off it. Three needed off the final delivery, and Sohail Akhtar was caught in the deep by Ravi Bopara.

On further investigation, it was found out that Usman Khan overstepped the crease. However, the single wasn’t considered, as the ball turned out to be dead before the two batsmen completed the run.

The last delivery, needing two runs for a victory, turned out to be a runout but not before the two batsmen completed a run. It meant the match went into super-over, to provide an exciting finish.

The Super Over

Lahore Qalandars, batting first, managed to score 11 off the six deliveries. Mohd. Amir bowled a couple of wides to make it an eight-ball super overs.

LQ lost a couple of wickets in the process. Sunil Narine was handed the ball in Lahore’s bid to defend 12 runs. In the first three deliveries, Narine conceded only one run, and scalped the wicket of Colin Ingram.

The culprit for Karachi’s loss in hindsight would be the Lendl Simmons. The opener managed to score only two runs off the four deliveries in the super over, unable to dominate his compatriot.

With the match gone, Shahid Afridi hit the final ball for a maximum, but it was the Qalandars who emerged victoriously. The final half an hour of the match resulted in a thrilling finish to an evenly contested game.

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