Malik's Valiant Fifty Goes In Vain As Quetta Gladiators Beat Karachi Kings By 6 Runs In PSL 8 Thriller

Cricket Image for Malik's Valiant Fifty Goes In Vain As Quetta Gladiators Beat Karachi Kings By 6 Ru (Image Source: Twitter)

KAR vs QUE: Karachi Kings will continue looking for their first win this season after getting beaten by 6 runs against Quetta Gladiators in the 6th match of Pakistan Super League 2023. Shoaib Malik scored a valiant fifty when went in vain as Karachi Kings lost their third consecutive match in PSL 8.

Chasing 169 runs to win, Karachi Kings also went off to a bad start as opener Sharjeel Khan and Haider Ali were dismissed for a 5-ball and 4-ball duck respectively. James Vince looked good during his 14-ball stay, scoring 22 runs but Naseem uprooted the opener's stumps in the 5th over.

Experience ace batter Shoaib Malik, however, held the crease and shifted gears in the death overs. Shoaib smacked an unbeaten 74 runs off 49 balls with 8 fours & a six. However, Naseem Shah and Mohammad Hasnain bowled brilliantly in the 18th and 19th overs to restrict Quetta Gladiators just below the target. 

Imad Wasim and Aamer Yamin picked up 3 wickets each, while Mohammad Amir registered 1 wicket. In the first innings, 

Amongst the batting unit falling like a house of cards, Martin Guptill stepped up to score a glitzy ton, steering Quetta Gladiators to 168/7 in 20 overs Guptill commendably survived the early storm by opposition skipper Imad Wasim's storm to help his team out of trouble. 

Imad Wasim struck twice in the first over of the innings, dismissing Jason Roy (0) and Abdul Bangatzai (0). In his next over, Wasim got rid of Umar Akmal (5) while captain Sarfaraz Khan (5) was dismissed by Aamer Yamin just after the powerplay to reduce Quetta to 23/4 in 6.1 overs. 

Iftikar Ahmed then held the crease for a while along with Martin Guptill, adding 69 runs for the 5th wicket. Iftikhar scored 32 runs in 27 balls with 3 fours before getting out against Mohammad Amir in the 15th over. 

While none of the other batters were able to breach the double-digit mark, Martin Guptill smashed 117 runs in 67 balls with 12 fours and 5 sixes to help his team to a fighting total. For Karachi Kings, Imad Wasim & Aamer Yamin grabbed three wickets each. Mohammad Amir also picked up a wicket. 

Earlier, Karachi Kings captain Imad Wasim won the toss & opted to bowl first against Quetta Gladiators in the 6th match of Pakistan Super League 2023. This match is being played at National Stadium, Karachi. 

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