Quetta Gladiators down Karachi Kings for second win in HBL PSL 2017

KARACHI, Feb 12 (APP): Half centuries by skipper Sarfraz Ahmed (56)
and South African Rilee Rossouw (76) saw Quetta Gladiators notch their second consecutive win in the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) by seven wickets against Karachi Kings on Saturday at the Dubai International Stadium.
The duo figured in an unbroken 130-run partnership for the fourth
wicket as Gladiators going past the target of 160 with five balls to
spare.
Rossouw smashed three sixes and seven fours to score 76 off 53
deliveries for his second fifty in a row. He was well supported by
Sarfraz who slammed four boundaries and a six.
Earlier, Karachi Kings scored a competitive 159 for eight in 20
overs after being put into bat.
Karachi’s innings was boosted by a magnificent half century from
Babar Azam (50) which was spiced with four boundaries and a six before being run out.
Kings captain Kumar Sangakkara chipped with 25 off 22 balls.
“I think probably we were a bowler short in the middle for us
to really try and get an advantage but we could also have got a
little more in the Powerplay today but it was not to be,” said
Sangakkara at the post-match Press conference.
“I thought we bowled really well again in the Powerplay. We
took some early wickets but to capitalise on that we probably
needed another full time bowler. We had a good performance today
not quite good enough to win,” added Sangakkara who was lavish
in praise of Rossouw.
“I thought Rilee came out and batted really positively. That
was what Quetta needed. He never took a lot of balls to really
settle down. Rilee showed exactly the way to bat on it,” he added.
“I just try to play ball for ball. Not putting too much pressure
on myself. I believe that if I prepare and my execution is good
on the day, it’s fine,” said Rossouw who was excited about being
part of PSL.
“It’s a great tournament. It is one of the best tournaments I
have been involved in and looking forward to the future of this
tournament,” he added.
With two wins in two matches, Quetta Gladiators have now jumped
to the top in league chart, while the second consecutive defeat has
pushed Karachi Kings to the bottom.