Karachi Kings got their Pakistan Super League campaign off to a winning note but their 19-run victory will be fondly remembered by one of the greatest catches you’ll ever see from Shahid Afridi, with the Pakistan legend lighting up Dubai International Cricket Stadium last night.
Defending 149 and looking on course for a triumph with five of Quetta’s batsmen dismissed, ‘Boom Boom’ stole the show with a stunning catch that left fans and players in awe of what they had just saw.
When Umar Amin hit Mohammad Irfan Junior (2-36) in the 12th over, he thought he had done enough to clear the ropes. But Afridi had other ideas. Timing his jump on long-on perfectly and while getting a hand on the ball, the 37-year-old veteran hurled the ball in the air before catching it back inside the ropes. It not only saw the decibels rise inside the stadium but the ex-Pakistan captain was greeted by every team-mate on the field.
OUT! 12.3 Mohammad Irfan to Umar Amin
— PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) February 23, 2018
Watch the match at https://t.co/NmtKmiJDoh#HBLPSL #DilSeJaanLagaDe #KKvQG #Cricingif #PSL2018 pic.twitter.com/XV3xWOcjyo
Before that magical moment, Quetta were already in big trouble after just five overs. Asad Shafiq (1), Shane Watson (2) and Kevin Pietersen (6) all fell to Imad Wasim (2-19) and Tymal Mills (2-27) and it was a long road back for Sarfraz Ahmed’s side.
Wasim got his second man of the day when Rilee Rossouw was caught at mid-on by Ravi Bopara before Afridi’s brilliance. Mohammad Nawaz provided some resistance with 30 but it was a comfortable victory for Mickey Arthur’s side.
The result ended Karachi’s four successive losses against Quetta in PSL competition and captain Wasim had nothing but praise for Afridi, who also took a wicket.
“It was fantastic,” he said. “We didn’t expect anything more. It was a game changer and I really wasn’t expecting that, it was a brilliant catch.”
Batting first, Kings overcame a frustrating start to score 149 although their total could have been higher if it had not been for Australia star Watson’s late wickets.
Joe Denley (14) and Babar Azam, the top-scorer in last year’s competition with 291 runs, were all dismissed at the half-way stage of their innings. Khurram Manzoor showed glimpses of the form that has seen him score three centuries in his last four first-class matches with a knock of 35, but it was Colin Ingram’s innings that set the stadium alight.
It was already half-packed but the Kings’ fans made their voices heard during his 21-ball stay. The South African found the boundary five times as well as two sixes but was unlucky not to add to his 41 runs when a DRS decision went against him following a delivery from rising sensation Jofra Archer.
While Bopara was caught to become Anwar Ali’s second victim, Watson took charge for Quetta with three wickets in four balls including key man Afridi.
