LAHORE: Captain David Warner struck a dazzling half-century to steer Karachi Kings to an imposing total against Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 10 Eliminator 1 at Gaddafi Stadium on Thursday.
Electing to bat first in the do-or-die encounter, the Kings posted 190 for 8 in their allotted 20 overs.
The innings began steadily, with openers Warner and Tim Seifert providing a solid platform by adding 43 runs at a brisk rate.
Seifert was the first to depart, caught off the bowling of Qalandars skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi in the fourth over after scoring a quickfire 16 off just eight deliveries, featuring three boundaries.
Warner then formed brief, largely one-sided partnerships with James Vince (4), Saad Baig (11), and Muhammad Irfan Khan (18), before he was eventually dismissed by Mohammad Naeem on the first ball of the 16th over.
Warner’s knock
The veteran Australian opener top-scored for the Kings with a fluent 75 from 52 deliveries, including eight fours and three sixes.
After Warner’s departure, the Kings suffered a mini-collapse, losing three wickets in quick succession. However, Khushdil Shah’s explosive late cameo gave the innings a much-needed boost.
The left-hander remained unbeaten on 27 from just 14 balls, striking three boundaries and two maximums.
For the Qalandars, Haris Rauf was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with 3 for 35 from his four overs. Captain Shaheen claimed two wickets, while Shakib Al Hasan, Mohammad Naeem, and Zaman Khan took one each.
Playing XIs
Lahore Qalandars: Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Naeem, Abdullah Shafique, Kusal Perera (wk), Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Shakib Al Hasan, Asif Ali, Shaheen Afridi (c), Salman Mirza, Zaman Khan, Haris Rauf.
Karachi Kings: David Warner (c), Tim Seifert (wk), James Vince, Saad Baig, Khushdil Shah, Irfan Khan Niazi, Mohammad Nabi, Fawad Ali, Abbas Afridi, Hassan Ali, Mir Hamza.
