Old hands Shane Watson and Kevin Pietersen lead Quetta Gladiators to big win over Karachi Kings

Ajit Vijaykumar 00:41 09/03/2018
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    • Quetta were clinical in all aspects of the game in Dubai. Pic courtesy: @thePSLt20/Twitter.

    Quetta Gladiators powered to their second straight win following a 67-run triumph over Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League on Thursday.

    Batting first in Dubai, opening batsman Shane Watson cracked an unbeaten 90 off just 58 balls while Kevin Pietersen, playing in his final competitive tournament, hit a 34-ball 52 as Quetta made 180-4.

    In reply, Karachi were pegged back in the first two overs itself as they were reduced to 2-2. The result was a mere formality after that as they were restricted to 113-8.

    Here we take a look at the talking points from Thursday’s match.

    EXPERIENCE MATTERS

    The conditions in the third edition of the PSL have not been conducive for batting, with just one score above 180 before the start of the match. But the experience of Watson and Pietersen overcame those obstacles as the two stitched together an 86-run stand for the second wicket. Keeping Mohammad Amir (1-29) and Usman Khan (1-22) at bay, the duo attacked other bowlers to put Quetta on track for a big total.

    AFRIDI EXPERIMENT FAILS

    Star all-rounder Shahid Afridi was declared fit after recovering from a knee niggle. In the chase, he opened the innings hoping to give Karachi a quick start in pursuit of a stiff target. However, the man they affectionately call ‘Lala’ went after the bowlers from the first ball without getting his eye in and returned to the pavilion after scoring a six-ball one, slicing left-arm quick Rahat Ali to mid off.

    NAWAZ APPLIES THE BRAKES UP FRONT

    Karachi openers Joe Denly and Afridi had no option but to target left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz who opened the bowling for Quetta. However, Nawaz extracted enough turn to beat the bat of both openers, getting Denly stumped off the last ball of the first over. His three overs for just 11 runs up front pretty much ended the contest.

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