Twitter Reactions: Naseem Shah's classy fifer helps Quetta Gladiators go past Karachi Kings comfortably

18-year-old Naseem Shah picked up a five-wicket haul in PSL 2022 as the Karachi Kings suffered their second successive defeat in the hands of Quetta Gladiators. Earlier on the day, the Quetta Gladiators won the toss and chose to bowl at the National Stadium in Karachi. All did not go well for the Babar Azam led side, who kept losing wickets in a bundle. Veteran pacer Sohail Tanvir started the damage removing Sharjeel Khan and Joe Clarke in a span of three deliveries in the second over.

Shah came into the attack in the fourth over and the quick immediately got rid of Tom Lammonby and Mohammad Nabi in successive deliveries to leave the batting side at 26 for four. Babar Azam tried to steady the ship with 32 off 29 deliveries but was removed as well while the other batters around him also fell early.

Aamer Yamin and Imad Wasim were the last hopes for the Karachi Kings as the former struck two sixes to get the score going. However, he was dismissed for 20 off 10 deliveries while Imad battled out lonely with a 22 ball 26. In the end, Karachi Kings could manage just 113 runs on the board with 15 more balls to go in the innings. Naseem picked up his first five-wicket haul in the PSL and the youngster continued to impress with his raw pace.

Ahsan Ali’s unbeaten half-century takes Quetta Gladiators home

Quetta Gladiators meanwhile did not want to mess it up as low scoring games could sometimes be a headache to chase down and they ensured they did not lose any wickets in the powerplay. Imad started the bowling for the Karachi Kings while Ahsan Ali and Will Smeed took their time initially. They played out all the four overs of Imad carefully while Aamer Yamin and Mohammad Ilmar were taken to the cleaners in their first three overs combined. The Sarfraz Ahmed led side had the luxury of taking their time as the required rate was well in grasp and did not need any risk-taking.

However, Will Smeed after a much-needed knock of 30 from 35 balls perished while Ben Duckett never got going at all in the crease. A mix up between Ali and Duckett ended in the latter’s dismissal and in came, skipper Sarfaraz. The wicketkeeper batter hit three fours quickly and sealed the victory for his side. Ali stayed unbeaten in the crease with a well-made half-century while there were very few positives for the Karachi side.

Here’s how the Twitterati reacted to the win:

With the victory, the Quetta Gladiators have moved into the second position in the points table at 2 points while Karachi Kings have now lost two out of two games they have played. The Multan Sultans are at the top of the table after a victory earlier on the day.