The biggest crowd of the 2017 Pakistan Super League had their patience well and truly tested on Friday as rain overshadowed an otherwise uplifting day for the tournament.
The weather, which has failed to abandon a single one of the 226 world record ODIs in Sharjah, drowned out Quetta Gladiators vs Peshawar Zalmi before a slightly thinned, yet still bulging, crowd was finally rewarded with action as Karachi Kings beat Islamabad United by eight runs.
This time Mother Nature was the latest obstacle added to the growing list for this year’s PSL to overcome.
For a bumper crowd, a first genuine reason for this year’s competition to be proud, it was an immensely frustrating affair as spirits were torturously broken during Sharjah’s first double header of the season.
But those that stayed on to watch the second match of the day finally got their wish of seeing some cricket as the rain eventually relented long enough for a reduced but completed match.
An hour later than scheduled and the overs reduced to 18 a side, the match kicked off with Islamabad United put into bat first.
The defending champions got off to the worst possible start as Imad Wasim first accounted for Islamabad’s hero last time out, Sam Billings, for a golden duck and then Brad Haddin for just six, leaving them 10-2.
Just 7.1 overs were managed before rain fell once again, halting Islamabad at 34-2.
Play did restart 40 minutes later, this time taking a further five overs from each side in a sapping evening of cricket.
Ultimately, the fall of four wickets in the final over looked to have cost Islamabad dear in posting 90-8 from their 13 overs.
Karachi’s revised target was set at 95 for victory from 13 and another failure from marquee man Chris Gayle was not what they needed up front.
Gayle managed just two before falling to Mohammad Irfan in the first over, leaving the West Indian with just 17 runs in four PSL innings this season.
Some great shots of the crowd @ShjCricket today via @Emmad81 & @thePSLt20. Their clothes may be dampened but their enthusiasm won't be. pic.twitter.com/sTXh1FZ55a
— Barny Read (@BarnabyRead) February 17, 2017
Irfan then bowled Kumar Sangakkara for the same score, hauling his team back into the contest in a frantic pursuit of wickets and runs that finally served up a contest the crowd deserved.
Shoaib Malik (6) and then Ravi Bopara (1) both quickly came and went, leaving Karachi wobbling in pursuit of their first win of the campaign.
But Babar Azam (47*) was the steady hand his team needed as Karachi eventually sealed a win virtue of Duckworth-Lewis at 75-4 when time was finally called on the match after 9.4 overs of their chase.
Earlier, an initial sell-out crowd was eventually thinned by washout in the day’s opener between Quetta Gladiators and Peshawar Zalmi.
When play was possible, Bangladesh’s Tamim Iqbal, in his first appearance of the season, hit a fluid 62* that belied the stop-start nature of Peshawar’s 117-3 from their condensed innings of 16 overs.
Rain fell once again at the interval and an hour and ten minutes passed before Quetta were set a chase of 55 from six overs, but just as the first ball was about to be bowled the heavens opened once more and the game was abandoned.
