From Zeeshan Mirza
Karachi: Shane Watson (66) and Khurram Manzoor (63) helped Quetta Gladiators win against Karachi Kings by five wickets in the last round match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 5.
They rescued Gladiators when they lost Ahmed Shahzad earlier. They both scored 118 runs together to put their team in commanding position.
Earlier, Cameron Delport smashed 62 runs off 44 balls to drive Kings to 150-5 in 20 overs. Delport took charge when Kings were 72-3 and drove his team to 145 runs along with Chadwick Walton. They both made 73 runs together to help Kings put a strong case.
Gladiators started off strongly with bagging Sharjeel Khan earlier who departed for naught. Iftikhar Ahmed joined Babar Azam and they both scored 30 runs together to release some pressure.
Babar walked off after scoring 32 runs off 34 balls while Iftikhar went back after scoring 21 runs. Walton and Delport put Kings in the driving seat by supporting them with the bat.
For Gladiators, Naseem Shah bagged two wickets while Sohail Khan, Fawad Ahmed, and Mohammad Husnain shared a wicket apiece.
In reply, Gladiators carried the inning strongly after losing a wicket. Watson and Manzoor handed a victory to defending champions who made their way out of the tournament.
For Kings, Waqas Maqsood and Arshad Iqbal bagged two wickets while Ali Khan took a wicket each.
It must be noted here that Multan Sultans, Karachi Kings, Lahore Qalandars and Peshawar Zalmi qualified for the semi-final. On March 17 in Lahore, Multan Sultans will take on Peshawar Zalmi in the first semi-final while arch-rivals Lahore Qalandars and Karachi Kings will play the second semi-final of the event.
