DUBAI: Umar Gul’s stunning six-wicket haul went in vain as 19-year-old Hasan Khan hit a memorable six off the penultimate ball of their match against table-toppers Multan Sultans to give Quetta Gladiators a much-needed two-wicket win here on Wednesday night.
The see-saw HBL Pakistan Super League encounter will go down as one of the most thrilling ones of season 3 as an old fox and a young gun took centre-stage in front of a sparse crowd at the Dubai International Stadium.
Multan always had the upper hand after overcoming early hiccups to post 152-5 thanks to an unbeaten 65 from 43 balls by their captain Shoaib Malik. They did allow Quetta to sneak in from time to time but seemed in control till the last over in which Quetta still needed nine to win with eight wickets down.
Malik handed the last over to the experienced Kieron Pollard. Quetta picked up six from four balls but still needed three from the last two with the inexperienced Hasan Khan on strike. The smart money would be on Pollard finishing the job but it was Hasan who did it, smashing a stunning six to seal victory. His 9 off 3 balls must be one of the most important innings for the youngster, who captained Pakistan in the Under-19 World Cup as it has put him in the spotlight.
Multan’s first innings total owed much to Malik after they had lost Kumar Sangakkara off the first ball. Quetta’s bowlers kept the batsmen in check for the first 15 overs, Mohammad Nawaz and Rahat Ali in particular hitting their targets to ensure there would be no repeat of the massive total Multan amassed against Peshawar on Tuesday. But 57 were scored off the last five as Quetta, much like Peshawar, lost their discipline and composure towards the death overs.
Quetta’s innings began on track before a quick double-strike by Gul removed both openers either side of the 50-run mark. The game remained evenly poised for much of the chase, but the early dismissal of an off-colour Kevin Pietersen was a huge blow for last year’s finalists. Cameos from Rilee Rossouw and Rameez Raja Jnr kept them in the hunt, with Anwar Ali, and at the very end Hasan, sealing the win in a massive heist.
Not many people get the chance to bookend a game like Hasan did. He took a catch to remove Sangakkara first ball at short midwicket. Nearly 40 overs later, he smashed Pollard for six off the penultimate delivery to seal a framatic win. He didn’t have a great deal to do in the middle, but was stellar when called upon, conceding just nine runs in the two overs of left-arm spin he bowled. With the bat, he didn’t even breach double figures, but his nine runs off three balls is guaranteed to be a more famous innings than the 65 Malik smashed earlier on.
Multan are still at the top of the table with nine points, but second-placed Karachi have two games in hand. Quetta, meanwhile, go from 5th to 4th, having won three of six games. –with inputs from agencies
Quetta Gladiators won toss
Multan Sultans
†S R K C Sangakkara c Hasan b Nawaz 0
Ahmed Shehzad c Sarfraz b Anwar 1
Sohaib Maqsood lbw b Laughlin 27
Sohail Tanvir b Watson 19
*Shoaib Malik not out 65
R A Whiteley c Laughlin b Rahat 16
K A Pollard not out 15
Extras (lb 3, w 6) 9
Total (5 wickets; 20 overs) 152
Did not bat: Mohammad Irfan, Imran Tahir, Umar Gul, Saif Badar
Fall: 1-0, 2-3, 3-41, 4-81, 5-119
Bowling: Nawaz 3-0-18-1; Anwar 3-0-24-1; Rahat 4-0-24-1; Laughlin 4-0-37-1; Watson 4-0-37-1; Hasan 2-0-9-0
Quetta Gladiators
Asad Shafiq c Imran b Gul 20
S R Watson c Badar b Gul 26
K P Pietersen lbw b Malik 5
R R Rossouw c Whiteley b Gul 27
Rameez Raja b Tahir 22
*†Sarfraz Ahmed c sub (Shan) b Gul 11
Anwar Ali c Imran b Gul 15
Mohammad Nawaz c Pollard b Gul 11
Hasan Khan not out 9
B Laughlin not out 3
Extras (nb 2, w 5) 7
Total (8 wickets; 19.5 Overs) 156
Did not bat: Rahat Ali
Fall: 1-48, 2-54, 3-62, 4-90, 5-114, 6-118, 7-144, 8-144
Bowling: Sohail 4-0-37-0; Irfan 4-0-32-0; Imran 4-0-24-1; Gul 4-0-24-6; Malik 2-0-18-1; Pollard 1.5-0-21-0
Result: Quetta Gladiators won by 2 wickets
Man of The Match: Umar Gul (Multan Sultans)
Umpires: Tim Robinson (England) and Aleem Dar (Pakistan). TV Umpire: Ahmed Shahab (Pakistan). Match Referee: Mohammed Anees (Pakistan)
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