Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin ReportKARACHI: Islamabad United qualified for the final of HBL PSL for the first time since 2018, on the back of a record seventh-wicket partnership between Imad Wasim and Haider Ali, as they beat Peshawar Zalmi by five wickets on Saturday night, at National Bank Stadium, Karachi in Eliminator Two. The final will be played on 18 March at the same venue.Zalmi failed to defend their total of 185-5 as United batters overcame the early hiccup of being 50-4, and secured the berth in the HBL PSL 9 final, completing the target with an over to spare.Islamabad United’s pursuit of the 186-run target met with adversity as Saim, fresh off his batting heroics, struck twice with the new ball; Alex Hales chipped one straight to Mehran Mumtaz at cover while Salman Ali Agha was bamboozled with a fullish carrom ball that rattled his stumps. In the fourth over, Mehran knocked off Shadab Khan’s off-stump to leave United 23-3.Martin Guptill, having lost three partners in the first four overs, teed off in the fifth as he hit Saim for 22 runs on the back of four boundaries and a six. Khurram Shahzad landed another blow for Zalmi on the last ball of the sixth over as he dismissed Guptill for 34 off 21 balls, laced with five boundaries and a solitary six, leaving United in dire straits at 50-4.Azam Khan and Imad Wasim got together to put up a 41-run fifth-wicket partnership injecting stability to United’s innings. Luke Wood destroyed Azam’s (22, 17b, 1x4, 1x6) stumps in the 11th over to leave United reeling with 95 required in nine overs. Haider Ali joined Imad in the middle and the duo took it upon themselves to stage the rescue act. Haider got going with two boundaries against Aamir in the 13th over, while he bludgeoned Arif Yaqoob for a six in 15th over.Aamir’s 18th over, yielding 23, became the nail in the coffin for Zalmi as Imad hit a first-ball four followed by Haider hitting two towering sixes and a four. Haider smashed Wood for his fifth six in the 19th over while Imad hit the winning runs. Imad (59 not out, 40b, 9x4s) and Haider (52 not out, 29b, 2x4s, 5x6s) added an unbeaten 98 for the seventh wicket, the highest in HBL PSL history, to take their side to the final. For Zalmi, Saim bagged two wickets while Wood, Mumtaz and Khurram picked up on each.Earlier, Peshawar Zalmi made the most of the opportunity to bat first as Shadab opted to field after winning the toss. Babar Azam and Saim stitched a fiery 72-run opening partnership after Saim muscled Naseem Shah for a maximum in the first over.In the following over, Obed McCoy found himself on the receiving end as the belligerent southpaw pummeled him for a six over fine leg and then followed it with two boundaries through cover and fine leg, respectively. Salman was employed to bowl the fourth over and gave away 13 runs. Then, Saim welcomed Faheem Ashraf in the sixth over with three boundaries capping off the powerplay with 59 on the board.Saim and Babar duo also became just the third opening pair, and the quickest, to score 1000 or more runs in HBL PSL history. Naseem returned to bowl the eight over and dismissed Babar (25, 22b, 2x4s, 1x6) as skipper Shadab plucked a spectacular catch at mid-off. Babar also breached the 550-run mark in HBL PSL 9 for the second time in the history of the tournament, a feat that has only been achieved by Mohammad Rizwan twice, and Fakhar Zaman once.Mohammad Haris joined Saim in the middle and the pair contributed with a 59-run second-wicket partnership. In the 10th over, Saim brought up his second HBL PSL 9 half-century in style with a maximum over long-off, taking 27 balls to do so.With Zalmi poised for a huge total after having notched 130-1 in 14 overs, Shadab brought his team back into the game with the vital scalp of Saim in the 15th over. Saim returned for 73 off 44, comprising six boundaries and four maximums. In the following over, Naseem dismissed Haris who returned a crucial 40 off 25, on the back of three fours and two sixes.Tom Kohler-Cadmore ransacked 17 runs off the 17th over while Rovman Powell fell for a paltry two off seven in the following over. Kohler-Cadmore’s (18, 9b, 2x4s, 1x6) cameo was ended in the penultimate over by Naseem. Aamir (17 not out, 9b, 1x4, 1x6) stitched a handy unbeaten 25-run sixth-wicket partnership with Hussain Talat (8 not out, 4b, 1x4), playing his first HBL PSL 9 game, to help Zalmi post 185-5 in the allotted 20 overs. Naseem registered a three-wicket haul while McCoy and Shadab bagged one wicket each.

Sports Bulletin ReportKARACHI: Quetta Gladiators’ Abrar Ahmed and Saud Shakeel have both been fined five per cent of their match fees for Level 1 breaches of HBL PSL’s code of conduct during their side’s HBL PSL 9 fixture against Islamabad United at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi on Friday night. Abrar was found to have violated Article 2.4 of the HBL PSL Code of Conduct, which reads as: “Disobeying an umpire’s instruction during the match”. The incident occurred in the 19th over of Islamabad United’s batting, when, while fielding, Abrar rolled the ball all along the ground despite being instructed by the umpires not to do so.In a separate incident, in the same match, Saud was found to have violated Article 2.5 of the HBL PSL Code of Conduct, which reads as: “Using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon his/her dismissal during a match”.After dismissing United’s batter Salman Ali Agha in the 12th over, Saud went close to Salman and made remarks which could have provoked the batter. Both players pleaded guilty to the charges and accepted the sanctions proposed by match referee Mohammad Javed. The charges were imposed by on-field umpires Ahsan Raza and Chris Gaffaney.

Sports Bulletin ReportKARACHI: Islamabad United will join Peshawar Zalmi in the second eliminator after they beat Quetta Gladiators by 39 runs at National Bank Stadium, Karachi on Friday night. Islamabad scored 174-9 in the first innings, which they comfortably defended as Quetta was dismissed for just 135.After opting to bat first, Martin Guptill and Alex Hales put up a 51-run opening partnership, giving Islamabad a strong start. After seeing off Mohammad Amir’s first over for just two runs, Guptill hit three consecutive fours against Mohammad Wasim Jnr in the second over to get things going for the side.Hales (23, 20b, 1x4, 2x6s) hit two maximums against Abrar Ahmed in the fifth over but was caught by Jason Roy off Akeal Hosein in the following over as Islamabad ended the powerplay at 51-1. After the seventh and eighth overs passed quietly, Salman Ali Agha took charge against Wasim in the ninth over, hitting a four and six. By halfway mark, Islamabad stood at 93-1.Saud Shakeel’s introduction to the attack in the 12th over proved fruitful as he broke the 51-run partnership by dismissing Salman (31, 21b, 2x4s, 1x6). Shadab Khan walked in next and hit a quickfire 23 off 13, including one four and two sixes, before he fell to Abrar, with the scorecard reading 131-3 after 15 overs. Guptill got his 56th T20 half-century with a four on the fifth delivery of the 16th over. In the next over, Azam Khan (18, 6b, 1x4, 2x6s) hit two sixes and a four before Hosein avenged himself on the last ball.Islamabad lost four wickets in the 18th and 19th overs; Faheem Ashraf was caught behind off Amir while Haider Ali was run out on the next delivery. Then, Imad Wasim was run out courtesy of an excellent aim at the striker’s end by Wasim. Subsequently, Guptill (56, 47b, 5x4s, 1x6) sent one straight to Roy fielding at long-on. Amir, bowling the final over, castled Hunain Shah on the second delivery. Naseem Shah hit a six on the last ball of the innings to help Islamabad finish with a comfortable total of 174-9 after 20 overs. Amir and Hosein had two wickets each while Saud, Wasim and Abrar picked up one each.In return, Quetta Gladiators had a horror start to the chase as they lost half their wickets inside of the powerplay, whilst in pursuit of 175-run target on the tricky Karachi pitch. Imad, who opened the bowling for Islamabad, drew first blood with opening batter Saud caught behind for a five-ball duck on the final ball of the first over.On the second ball of the second over, Roy edged one to Faheem fielding at first slip and had to join his fellow opener back in the pavilion for just a run off three deliveries. Rilee Rossouw announced himself on the crease with a boundary on his first ball, facing Naseem. However, he could not maintain his stay at the crease and was caught by Haider at deep square in the third over, awarding Imad his second wicket of the day. Continuing his disappointing tally of scores at HBL PSL 9, the Quetta captain returned for a run-a-ball five.Then, Imad returned to bowl his third over and continued his lethal attack on the Quetta batting line-up. Nafay (5, 10b, 1x4), the fifth batter in, fell on the second delivery as the substitute fielder Qasim Akram grabbed a brilliant catch at short mid-off. On the subsequent ball, Evans was run out for a duck as trouble deepened for Quetta who found themselves 21-5 after five overs.Omair Bin Yousuf, who had witnessed his team’s batting collapse from the other end, was then joined in the middle by Hosein. The two batted together to add 52 runs off 34 balls, providing Quetta’s innings with a sense of stability as the side managed to get to 67-5 at the halfway mark. The sixth-wicket stand was cut short in the 11th over when Hosein (31, 18b, 2x4, 3x6) was run out after confusion in the middle. Subsequently, a languid 17-run seventh-wicket stand between Omair and Wasim (6, 10b) followed until the latter fell to Faheem in the 14th over.Amir walked into bat with Gladiators requiring 90 from 40 balls. He hit a dexterous 23 off 14, on the back of four boundaries and a six, attempting to keep Quetta in the game, despite the mounting pressure. The 20-ball 41-run eighth-wicket stand was eventually broken when Amir fell to Obed McCoy in the 17th over.Omair completed his second HBL PSL half-century (50, 37b, 4x4s, 1x6) before Faheem caught him at deep midwicket to award Naseem his second wicket. Hunain rattled Abrar’s stumps in the penultimate over to finish the game, as Islamabad cruised to Eliminator 2, scheduled to be played on 16 March at National Bank Stadium at 9pm. Imad Wasim was the pick of the bowlers for Islamabad, returning with three wickets for just 12 runs in his four overs. Naseem had two wickets while Faheem, Hunain and McCoy had one each.

Sports Bulletin ReportKARACHI: Multan Sultans qualified for the final of the HBL PSL in a row, as they ousted Peshawar Zalmi by a dominating seven-wicket victory in the qualifier on Thursday night at National Bank Stadium, Karachi. Peshawar Zalmi will face the winner of the eliminator one, scheduled between Islamabad United and Quetta Gladiators on 15 March.The Sultans' bowling line-up showcased their depth as all the bowlers contributed towards limiting Zalmi to a below-par total of 146-7, which was later knocked down by the batters in 18.3 overs, registering a convincing win.Multan Sultans’ opening batters, Yasir Khan and Muhammad Rizwan, set the tone for the chase with an impressive 61-run opening partnership. Yasir revealed his intentions from the get-go as he smashed Mehran Mumtaz for a maximum on just the second ball. While Rizwan struggled to get off the blocks, Yasir hit Paul Walter for three boundaries in the fourth over. Sultans notched 45 in the powerplay while the 50-run opening partnership came off 39 balls.Rizwan buckled under pressure in the eighth over as he succumbed to Aamir Jamal for a scratchy 15 off 21 balls with Saim Ayub taking the catch. In the next over, Yasir brought up his maiden HBL PSL half-century off just thirty balls.At the halfway mark, Sultans required a shade above run-a-ball with nine wickets in hand. Mehran returned in the 11th over and dismissed belligerent Yasir for 54 off 37 balls, comprising seven boundaries and one six.Johnson Charles and Usman Khan stitched a 35-run third-wicket partnership until Charles’ (11, 17b, 1x4) troubled stay at the crease was ended by Salman Irshad with a fine yorker. Iftikhar Ahmed (22 not out, 8b, 3x4s, 1x6) walked in and bludgeoned Salman for three boundaries. With a mere eight needed off the last two overs, he smashed Wood for a maximum followed by a single, while Usman (36 not out, 28b, 3x4s) hit the winning runs, taking Sultans to the final of HBL PSL 9. Mehran, Aamir and Salman picked up one wicket each.Earlier, Peshawar Zalmi won the toss and elected to bat first. David Willey struck in the first over, taking his tally of HBL PSL 9 powerplay wickets to eight, as Saim, hit a short ball toward the square boundary but was pouched by Yasir. Mohammad Haris joined Babar Azam in the middle for a 47-run second-wicket partnership.Haris raced to 22 off 13 balls on the back of four boundaries before Mohammad Ali pitched one just outside off-stump on a nagging length, inducing an edge that was caught by Rizwan. Zalmi finished the powerplay with 51-2 on the board. Usama Mir, introduced into the attack in the eighth over, dismissed Haseebullah, who cut the last ball of the over straight in the hands of Ali at short third.Tom Kohler-Cadmore joined Babar to steady Zalmi’s innings with a decent fourth-wicket partnership of 44 off 35 balls. With a boundary in the 11th over, Babar brought up his 1000 T20 runs in 2024. Chris Jordan, bowling the 14th over, unleashed a lethal yorker as he hit the base of Babar’s (46, 42b, 5x4s) off-stump leaving him stunned, with the scorecard reading 101-4.Babar also crossed the 500-run mark in HBL PSL 9, becoming only the second batter, besides Rizwan, to notch this feat twice in the tournament’s history. An over later, Usama returned to bowl the last over of his spell and took his HBL PSL 9 tally of wickets to 23, as he dismissed Kohler-Cadmore for a-run-a-ball 24. Usama, who holds the Fazal Mahmood Cap in HBL PSL 9, also became the bowler with joint second-most wickets in an HBL PSL season, with only Hasan Ali ahead of him with 25 scalps.Rovman Powell, who chipped in with 12 off 11 on the back of a solitary boundary, departed in the 18th over as Jordan bagged his second wicket. The penultimate over saw drama as Abbas Afridi dismissed Aamir Jamal (1, 3b), while a ball later Luke Wood smashed him for a six and a four on successive balls.Jordan bowled an impressive last over giving away just three runs as Zalmi scrambled their way to 146-7 in the stipulated 20 overs. Wood (14, 7b, 1x4, 1x6) and Paul Walter (14, 11b, 2x4s) remained unbeaten after adding 15 runs for the seventh wicket. Usama and Jordan bagged two wickets each while Willey, Ali and Abbas chipped in with one each.

Sports Bulletin ReportKARACHI: The Pakistan Cricket Board today (March 9, 2024) announced umpire and match referee appointments for the HBL PSL 9 three playoffs and the final, which will be played from 14-18 March at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi.The 14 March Qualifier involving table-toppers Multan Sultans and Peshawar Zalmi will be refereed by Roshan Mahanama. Aleem Dar and Richard Illingworth will be the on-field umpires, while Rashid Riaz and Faisal Afridi will be the third and fourth umpires, respectively.Match Referee Mohammad Javed will lead the playing control team for the 15 March Eliminator 1 between Islamabad United and Quetta Gladiators. Ahsan Raza and Chris Gaffaney will be the on-field umpires, while Asif Yaqoob and Rashid Riaz will be the third and fourth umpires, respectively.16 March Eliminator 2 featuring the loser of 14 March match and the winner of 15 March fixture will be refereed by Muhammad Javed. Richard Illingworth and Asif Yaqoob will perform on-field umpire responsibilities, while Ahsan Raza and Faisal Afridi will be the third and fourth umpires, respectively.For the final scheduled on 18 March, Richard Illingworth and Chris Gaffaney will perform the duties of on-field umpires, while Ahsan Raza and Asif Yaqoob will be third and fourth umpires, respectively. Roshan Mahanama will lead the playing control team for the final.

Sports Bulletin ReportKARACHI: Multan Sultans’ Iftikhar Ahmed has been fined five per-cent of his match-fee for a Level 1 breach of HBL PSL’s code of conduct during his side’s HBL PSL 9 fixture against Quetta Gladiators at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi.Iftikhar was found to have violated Article 2.5 of the HBL PSL Code of Conduct, which reads as: “Using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon his/her dismissal during a match”.The incident happened in the third over of Quetta Gladiators’ batting, when Iftikhar used inappropriate language towards the batter who was dismissed. Since Iftikhar pleaded guilty to the charge and accepted the sanctions proposed by match referee Ali Naqvi, there was no need of a formal hearing. The charge was imposed by on-field umpires Rashid Riaz and Richard Illingworth. 

Multan Sultans trounce Quetta Gladiators by 79 runs, Mohammad Rizwan stars in Karachi Sports Bulletin ReportKARACHI: Multan Sultans overpowered Quetta Gladiators by 79 runs at National Bank Stadium, Karachi on Tuesday night and confirmed their place in the Qualifier of the HBL PSL Season 9 and will face Peshawar Zalmi on March 14, 2024 at 9 pm.Batting first, Multan scored 185-4 on the back of half-centuries by Mohammad Rizwan and Johnson Charles. Multan Sultans’ opening batters, Yasir Khan and Mohammad Rizwan could only manage a 16-run opening stand with the former caught behind for 12 on 11, with two fours, in the third over, after Gladiators opted to field first.What followed was a 52-run second-wicket stand as Usman Khan joined Rizwan in the middle to bring stability to Multan’s innings after the early wicket. In the fifth over, Rizwan hit a six while Usman hit two consecutive fours to get the scoreboard moving. Sultans ended the powerplay at 43-1.In the 10th over, Usman (21, 23b, 3x4s) was stunned by Abrar Ahmed, who bowled a magic delivery to outfox the right-hand batter. Johnson Charles, the next batter in, partnered with Rizwan for the longest partnership of the innings; yielding 68 from 43 deliveries. Charles, who contributed 32 from 19 to the partnership, played the aggressor role.In the 14th over, Rizwan brought up his 64th T20 half-century, doing so off 35 deliveries. The next two overs, which yielded 12 each, saw Rizwan hit a six while Charles powered the ball to the boundary twice. In the 17th over, Mohammad Amir dismissed Rizwan (69, 47b, 1x4, 4x6s) after he mistimed a leg-cutter, which was caught by the Quetta skipper, Rilee Rossouw.The fourth-wicket partnership between Charles and Iftikhar Ahmed propelled Multan to a comfortable total, after the two added 46 off just 18, with the last three overs yielding 42 runs. Mohammad Wasim Jnr removed Charles (53, 29b, 6x4s, 3x6s) on the fourth ball of the final over, after the batter had brought up his 36th T20 half-century off 27 balls. Iftikhar (20, 8b, 2x4s, 1x6) remained unbeaten at the other end, after pushing the Sultans total to 185-4. Amir bagged two wickets while Abrar and Wasim had one each.In return, Quetta Gladiators had a horror start to the chase as they lost four early wickets. In the third over, David Willey first trapped Jason Roy (3, 7b) leg-before on the second ball. Then, the last delivery of the over saw Saud Shakeel (14, 9b, 1x4, 1x6) being run out by Yasir who perfected his aim at the stumps from backward point, with the Quetta opener halfway down the crease.Rossouw (10, 9b, 2x4s) hit two fours in the next over to keep the scoreboard moving, however, lost his wicket on the final ball of the fifth over when Willey rattled the Quetta skipper’s stumps. Quetta finished the powerplay at 46-3. Trouble deepened when Laurie Evans (1, 2b), the next batter in, was caught by Chris Jordan at short midwicket off Abbas Afridi, leaving Gladiators 47-4.Then, Khawaja Nafay joined Omair bin Yousuf on the crease for a 26-run fifth-wicket partnership. He hit a four on the last ball of the seventh over. In the following over, Omair produced one four while Nafay smashed a six. Quetta got to 73-4 at the halfway mark. On the first ball of the 11th over, Nafay (16, 14b, 1x4, 1x6) was pinned leg-before wicket by Mohammad Ali after Multan reviewed the on-field decision.Omair managed to score 37 off 25, on the back of three fours and two maximums, before he was caught by Jordan in the 12th over, providing Usama Mir his 19th HBL PSL 9 wicket. In the next over, Akeal Hosein edged to Rizwan behind the stumps as Abbas got his second wicket of the innings. Hosein walked back for a-run-a-ball six, as the batting collapse continued. Usama rattled Amir’s (3, 6b) stumps to bring Quetta eight down in the 14th over, with only 99 runs on the board.Abrar was caught behind for a two-ball duck as Multan inched closer to joining Peshawar Zalmi in the HBL PSL 9 qualifier. Usama picked up the final wicket as Quetta were bundled up for 106, the lowest total of HBL PSL 9. Willey and Usama registered identical figures of three for 22 in four overs, while Abbas picked up two wickets. Ali also dismissed a batter.

Sports Bulletin ReportKARACHI: Peshawar Zalmi have raced to the top position on the points table, after eking out a two-run win against Karachi Kings at National Bank Stadium, Karachi on Tuesday night.Zalmi defended their 147-run total successfully, as the Kings agonizingly fell two runs short, scoring 145-5 in the allotted 20 overs. In doing so, Zalmi also registered the record for the lowest total successfully defended in HBL PSL history at Karachi.Karachi’s pursuit of the 148-run target started solidly as opening batters, James Vince and Tim Seifert, put on a 61-run opening partnership. The powerplay yielded 44 runs, with Seifert being the aggressor. Vince struggled to get off the blocks during his stay at the crease, which was cut short in the ninth over by Naveen-ul-Haq, as he returned for a sluggish 21 off 27 balls on the back of four boundaries.In the next over, Saim outfoxed Shan Masood (0, 2b) with a brilliant ball that turned just enough to hit the off-stump, leaving the batter stunned. At the halfway mark Kings required 84 with Shoaib Malik and Seifert on the crease. In the 11th over Seifert was pinned leg-before wicket against Aamir Jamal, for 41 off 30 balls, comprising eight boundaries.Shoaib and Mohammad Irfan Khan joined forces to stitch a crucial 49-run fourth-wicket partnership off 41 balls, keeping Zalmi on their toes. With 35 required off the last three overs, Naveen bowled Shoaib in the 17th over, who walked back after scoring 22 off 25 balls comprising one four.Luke Wood bowled a fine penultimate over conceding just eight and also dismissing the dangerous Kieron Pollard for a paltry one run. Aamir faced with the challenge of defending 17 runs in the last over, gave away 13 runs off the first five balls as Anwar Ali got off strike.Irfan (39 not out, 26b, 7x4s) needed to hit four off the last ball to earn a consolation win for the Kings. Aamir nailed a yorker as Irfan tried to make room while shuffling to the leg side and missed the ball, taking just one bye off it as Zalmi won the game by a mere two runs. Naveen bagged two wickets while Wood, Aamir and Saim picked up one each.Earlier, the opening duo of Babar Azam and Saim Ayub put on another show of delightful batting after Zalmi won the toss and elected to bat first. They brought up 54 runs at the end of the powerplay. Zahid Mahmood, bowling the seventh over, got rid of Saim (19, 18b, 3x4s) as he turned one prodigiously from outside off to rattle the stumps, bringing an end to the 55-run opening stand.Zalmi notched 75 runs for the loss of one wicket by the halfway mark as Babar played some fluent shots on a turning track. In the following over, Mohammad Haris (13, 11b, 2x4s) was undone by Hasan Ali as Arafat Minhas took an easy catch behind point. Left-hand batter Haseebullah (1, 5b) too failed to make his mark as Arafat bagged his maiden HBL PSL wicket with Irfan pouching the ball at deep midwicket leaving Zalmi 83-3 after 12.1 overs.In the 14th over, Babar took apart Zahid’s leg-spin by hitting him for a six and four to bring up his fifth HBL PSL 9 half-century. Later in the same over, he failed to make his ground at the non-striker’s end while attempting a second run and had to return for 51 off 46 balls, comprising five boundaries and a solitary six.On a tricky wicket, Zalmi could only manage 43 runs off the last five overs courtesy Rovman Powell’s 30 off 18 balls, on the back of three boundaries while Aamir chipped in with an unbeaten eight off seven balls. Arafat, making his HBL PSL debut, bowled the most economical spell of the tournament, returning with a wicket for just 11 runs in four overs, as Karachi bowlers conceded 147-6 in the 20 overs with Sams, Zahid and Hasan bagging one scalp each.

Sports Bulletin ReportRAWALPINDI: Islamabad United’s Naseem Shah has been fined 10 percent of match fee for a level 1 breach of the HBL PSL’s Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel during his side’s HBL PSL 9 fixture against Multan Sultans at the Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi on Sunday.Naseem was charged for violating Article 2.2 which deals with abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings. Naseem had kicked the stumps after the final ball of Multan Sultans’ innings.Since Naseem pleaded guilty to the charge and accepted the sanctions proposed by match referee Roshan Mahanama, there was no need of a formal hearing. The charge was imposed by on-field umpires Ruchira Palliyaguruge and Muhammad Asif.Meanwhile, in a separate incident in the same match, Multan Sultans were fined for maintaining a slow over-rate. Sultans were ruled to be one over short of their target by match referee Roshan Mahanama, who took into consideration time allowances before arriving at the decision.As such, and in accordance with Article 2.22 of the HBL PSL Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, each player was fined 10 percent of his match fee.

Quetta Gladiators beat Lahore Qalandars by six wickets at National Stadium KarachiSports Bulletin ReportKARACHI: Quetta Gladiators secured their spot for the HBL PSL 9 playoffs after they defeated Lahore Qalandars by six wickets at National Bank Stadium, Karachi on Sunday night. After restricting Lahore to 166-4 in the first innings, vice-captain Saud Shakeel produced a brilliant unbeaten knock of 88 runs that allowed Quetta to edge over Lahore in the last-ball thriller.Lahore Qalandars could only manage to post 166-4 on the board after choosing to bat first. Sahibzada Farhan and Mirza Tahir Baig gave a decent start to their team; after Farhan hit a four on the first delivery of the game, the two took turns breaching the boundary periodically in the third, fourth and fifth overs.Abrar Ahmed, introduced in the sixth over, removed Farhan (25, 22b, 4x4s) on the third ball and then Tahir (12, 13b, 1x6) on the last delivery to bring Lahore down to 39-2 by the end of the powerplay.Abdullah Shafique, batting at three, hit two consecutive fours against Mohammad Wasim Jnr in the seventh over to recover the damage. He then hit a boundary against Abrar in the next over. Shai Hope, who could only manage five off seven, was caught behind in the 10th over off Wasim’s bowling as Lahore got to 70-3 at the halfway mark.Shaheen Shah Afridi promoted himself up the order, taking the responsibility of boosting his side’s total. The fourth-wicket partnership between Abdullah and Shaheen yielded 91 from 57, helping the team establish a sense of control over the innings.After four quiet overs, Shaheen took on Akeal Hosein by smashing three sixes in the 15th over. An over later, he hit two sixes against Abrar to get to his second HBL PSL half-century.In the 18th over, Abdullah (59 not out, 39b, 3x4s, 2x6s) also completed his second consecutive half-century of HBL PSL 9 in style as he hit a six against Hosein on the fourth delivery.In the last over, Sohail Khan caught the ball on his second attempt while fielding at deep third to help Amir dismiss Shaheen, who had to walk back for 55 on 34, on the back of two fours and four sixes. The final over only produced six runs as Lahore finished with a competitive total.Abrar had two wickets, while Amir and Wasim had one each.Jason Roy and Saud Shakeel gave Quetta Gladiators a 39-run opening stand after the former hit Shaheen three consecutive fours on the first three balls of the innings.Jahandad Khan, bowling the sixth over, provided the breakthrough as Roy (18, 14b, 4x4s) was caught behind. Quetta ended the powerplay at 43-1.Saud was joined by his captain, Rilee Rossouw, in the middle for a 27-run second-wicket stand which was broken by Jahandad on the last ball of the ninth over. Rossouw walked back for 13 off 11, with the help of one four.The Quetta captain, however, became the first foreign batter to complete 2000 HBL PSL runs and the fifth overall, only behind Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Rizwan.Khawaja Nafay and Saud produced a dogged third-wicket stand, that yielded 70 from 53, to reestablish Quetta’s control over the game after the two initial wickets. In the 13th over, Saud brought his second HBL PSL 9 half-century, taking 42 deliveries to do so.The partnership was eventually broken by Shaheen, who trapped Nafay (26, 24b, 1x6) leg-before wicket in the 18th over. Quetta required 29 from the final two overs, with Saud and Laurie Evans on the crease. Jahandad conceded 15 in the penultimate over courtesy of a four by Evans and a six by Saud to bring the equation to 14 needed from the final six deliveries.Shaheen removed Evans (7, 4b, 1x4) on the first ball of the final over as Tahir took a spectacular diving catch at deep cover point. Saud then hit two consecutive boundaries, inching closer to the target.With four needed off the final ball, Wasim, the sixth batter in, hit a six to help his team over the rope. Saud (88, 65b, 5x4s, 4x6s) remained unbeaten at the other end as Quetta cruised to the playoffs for the first time since 2019. Jahandad and Shaheen picked up two wickets each.