Lahore looked set to revive their campaign with a crucial win, until Mohammad Nabi took a liking to Zohaib Khan, hitting 16 runs from the final over with just two wickets to spare and sending his side top.
Lahore needed victory to keep alive hopes of qualifying for the 3rd vs 4th PSL qualifier and must now win their final fixture on Wednesday night and hope Karachi Kings lose to Peshawar Zalmi.
For Quetta, they now have two attempts at qualifying for the final and captain Sarfraz Ahmed believes this win will provide just the momentum they need at the business end of the tournament.
“It was very necessary to win this game so that our confidence grows in the side and when we go into the playoffs we are confident in the team and know we will play well,” said Sarfraz.
His Lahore counterpart, Azhar Ali, remained positive despite the heart-breaking nature of his side’s loss.
“We still have one game tomorrow and hopefully we get a win and go through,” said Azhar.
Stunning @TeamQuetta win. 4 from last ball and they win by 2 wkts. Should never have got there in the end. @lahoreqalandars will be gutted.
— Barny Read (@BarnabyRead) February 16, 2016
“We still focus on the game tomorrow and whatever happens, it will happen.”
Earlier, Lahore looked on course for victory after enigmatic opener Chris Gayle finally came to the party with a superb 60 from 34 balls after Lahore were put into bat by Sarfraz.
Gayle, Azhar (61 from 45) and Umar Akmal (55* from 25) bludgeoned a Quetta attack that struggled to find their mark.
They were given the perfect start by Gayle and Azhar, who put on 108 for the first wicket as the enigmatic Windies opener finally found his range.
Gayle had just 43 runs to his name in four PSL matches but he undermined his poor record with 3 fours and 6 sixes in a blistering opening.
Dwayne Bravo was the other man to yield the willow for the Qalandars, taking 20 from 17 balls in a 59-run partnership with Akmal that saw their side post the highest total of the tournament to date, until Quetta dramatically usurped their total.
Quetta were given a stunning start despite the early loss of Ahmed Shehzad as Bismillah Khan and Kevin Pietersen flew out the traps.
Pietersen hit his first five balls to the fence and went on to make 34 from 21 balls before hauling to deep long-on off with his side 101-2 after just 8.4 overs.
Bismillah fell next ball for 55 from 25 balls as Bravo hauled his side back into the contest.
Sarfraz (21) and Kumar Sangakkara (37) came together in a 61-run partnership but Quetta went on to lose five wickets for just 24 runs following Sarfraz’s departure.
It looked like that was it for Quetta, with Ehsan Adil (4-39) and Bravo (3-29) looking to have sealed the win.
That was until Nabi’s breathless 30 from 12 balls.
