SHARJAH: It could not have been a better sight than Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed sealing the fate of a HBL PSL match, sending the last ball of the match over deep mid-wicket boundary to give Quetta Gladiators a three wicket win against Lahore Qalandars in Sharjah on Saturday. Quetta, chasing 144 to win, needed three off the last ball from David Wiese and Sarfraz completed the task for Quetta's fourth win in as many games to keep them on top of the six-team HBL PSL table. With that six Sarfraz finished with 52 not out off 36 balls with a six and four boundaries. Lahore Qalandars found the going tough against an accurate Quetta bowling, riding on a laborious 40-ball 45 not out which were, uncharacteristically, without a six and had only two boundaries to post a modest 143-7 in their 20 overs after sent into bat. Quetta have now chased down targets successfully in all four matches, winning by six, seven, eight wickets in the previous matches. Quetta were in a spot of bother when they lost in-form Shane Watson off a third-ball duck and then the other two successful batsmen Rilee Rossouw (17) and Umar Akaml (nine departed soon to leave Quetta in a difficult situation at 3-53. Ahsan Ali, who scored 29-ball 40 with two sixes and as many boundaries, fell to Sandeep Lamichanne and Dwayne Smith was run out for two, but the wily campaigner Sarfraz kept his nerves. Sarfraz and Mohammad Nawaz (18-ball 19 with a six) took Quetta to within nine runs of victory. Quetta needed seven off the last over which started with Wiese bowling Anwar Ali with a yorker. Sarfraz still knew a big hit could help Quetta cross the line and that he ultimately did, making Wiese -- who hit a last ball six in Lahore's win over Multan Sultans on Friday -- a villain from a hero. Quetta kept their top position with the win. Peshawar Zalmi (tw0 wins and two losses in four matches) are second, Islamabad United are third (two wins and two losses but ineferior net run-rate), Lahore are fourth (three losses, two wins in five), Multan are fifth (two points from four) while Karachi Kings are sixth (two losses and one win from three matches). Sarfraz praised opposition's bowling. "When you chase you need to keep wickets in hand, but today we lost wickets regularly because Lahore bowled well. In the end it was my day and I hit the needed runs," said Sarfraz. Lahore's skipper Fakhar Zaman -- leading the side after De Villiers hurt his back and couldn't take the field -- admitted his team was short on runs. "We couldn't get a big total and that hurt us badly," said Fakhar. Lahore's batting was kept under tight check by Quetta. It was young Mudassar who was impressive with 3-21. He did not allow the great De Villiers to hit at his usual best. Mudassar kept following the great master as and when he moved in the crease, allowing him a leg bey and two singles in the 18th and just seven in the final over. Left-arm spinner Nawaz (1-35) removed Fakhar (three) in the second over. But Fakhar's partner, Sohail Akhtar looked threatening as he smashed three sixes and a boundary in his 21-ball 29 but Mudassar got him caught behind to check the flow of runs. Corey Anderson, playing his first game this year, hit a six in his 18-ball 19 before David Wiese (16-ball 20 with a six) helped De Villiers add 40 for the fifth wicket. But Lahore did not manage to hit high and wide in final overs as just 28 in the final five overs. That was because Quetta unleashed tight bowling, with Sohail Tanvir also chipping in with 2-21 in his four overs. None of the Quetta bowlers went over seven per over, with leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed the most expensive, returning with figures of 0-31. Karachi Kings meet title holders Islamabad United later Saturday. Quetta Gladiators beat Lahore Qalandars by three wickets in HBL PSL Brief Scores: Lahore Qalandars 143-7 in 20 overs (AB de Villiers 45 not out; Ghulam Mudassar 3-21, Sohail Tanvir 2-21) Quetta Gladiators 148-7 in 20 overs (Sarfraz Ahmed 52 not out; Haris Rauf 2-25)<doc-sep>Pictures: PCB Quetta Gladiators win by 3 wickets: 148/7 Watch Live on Geo Super Quetta Gladiators' captain Sarfaraz's six hit in the last ball maintained the team's top spot on the table as they defeating Lahore Qalanders in a nail-biting thriller by three wickets with 148 runs, in the 12th match of Pakistan Super League's (PSL) fourth edition. Shane Warson, Rilee Rossouw and Umar Akmal had scored a hefty number of of runs for the Gladiators in the earlier matches but not this time they could not keep up the pace. The winning team had dominated against the Lahore Qalanders in the first innings as well as fast bowler Ghulam Mudassar took two wickets unleashing pressure for the other side. Despite Fakhar Zaman being in good form, he could only deliver three runs before getting knocked out after which Salman Butt joined Sohail Akhtar on the pitch in the first innings. Lahore Qalanders’ captain AB de Villiers in spite of the injury he received continued to bat and led the team to a fair score of 143; However the Gladiators were able to chase the target regardless. On the other hand, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Brendan Taylor were not part of the play today owing to injuries. End of over 20: Quetta Gladiators win with 148/7 Daniel Christian to Sarfaraz, SIX Daniel Christian to Sohail Tanvir, 1 run Daniel Christian to Sarfaraz, 1 run Daniel Christian to Sarfaraz, 2 run Daniel Christian to Sohail Tanvir, 1 run Daniel Christian to Anwar Ali, OUT End of over 19: Quetta Gladiators 137/5 (LQ Target: 144) Haris Rauf to Sarfaraz, 1 run Haris Rauf to Anwar Ali, 1 run Haris Rauf to Mohammad Nawaz, OUT Haris Rauf to Sarfaraz, 1 run Haris Rauf to Sarfaraz, FOUR Haris Rauf to Sarfaraz, no runs End of over 17: Quetta Gladiators 130/5 (LQ Target: 144) David Wiese to Mohammad Nawaz, 2 runs David Wiese to Sarfaraz, 1 run David Wiese to Sarfaraz, FOUR David Wiese to Mohammad Nawaz, 1 run David Wiese to Sarfaraz, 1 run David Wiese to Sarfaraz, FOUR End of over 16: Quetta Gladiators 117/5 (LQ Target: 144) Sandeep Lamichhane to Mohammad Nawaz, no runs Sandeep Lamichhane to Sarfaraz, 1 run Sandeep Lamichhane to Mohammad Nawaz, 1 run Sandeep Lamichhane to Mohammad Nawaz, no runs Sandeep Lamichhane to Sarfaraz, 1 run Sandeep Lamichhane to Mohammad Nawaz, 1 run End of over 15: Quetta Gladiators 113/5 (LQ Target: 144) Haris Rauf to Sarfaraz, no runs Haris Rauf to Sarfaraz, 2 runs Haris Rauf to Sarfaraz, no runs Haris Rauf to Sarfaraz, 2 runs Haris Rauf to Mohammad Nawaz, 1 run Haris Rauf to Mohammad Nawaz, no run End of over 14: Quetta Gladiators 108/5 (LQ Target: 144) Rahat Ali to Mohammad Nawaz, 1 run Rahat Ali to Sarfaraz, 1 run Rahat Ali to Mohammad Nawaz, 1 run Rahat Ali to Mohammad Nawaz, SIX Rahat Ali to Sarfaraz, 1 run Rahat Ali to Sarfaraz, 2 runs End of over 13: Quetta Gladiators 96/5 (LQ Target: 144) Yasir Shah to Mohammad Nawaz, no runs Yasir Shah to Mohammad Nawaz, 2 runs Yasir Shah to Sarfaraz, 1 run Yasir Shah to Mohammad Nawaz, 1 run Yasir Shah to Sarfaraz, 1 run Yasir Shah to Mohammad Nawaz, 1 run End of over 12: Quetta Gladiators 90/5 (LQ Target: 144) David Wiese to Sarfaraz, FOUR David Wiese to Mohammad Nawaz, 1 run David Wiese to Sarfaraz, 1 run David Wiese to Mohammad Nawaz, 1 run David Wiese to Sarfaraz, 1 run David Wiese to Dwyane Smith, OUT End of over 11: Quetta Gladiators 81/4 (LQ Target: 144) Sandeep Lamichhane to Sarfaraz, 1 run Sandeep Lamichhane to Dwyane Smith, 1 run Sandeep Lamichhane to Dwayne Smith no run Sandeep Lamichhane to Sarfaraz, 1 run Sandeep Lamichhane to Dwyane Smith, 1 run Sandeep Lamichhane to Ahsan Ali, OUT End of over 11: Quetta Gladiators 77/3 (LQ Target: 144) Rahat Ali to Ahsan Ali, 1 run Rahat Ali to Sarfaraz, 1 run Rahat Ali to Ahsan Ali, 1 run Rahat Ali to Ahsan Ali, 2 runs Rahat Ali to Ahsan Ali, 2 run Rahat Ali to Ahsan Ali, no runs End of over 10: Quetta Gladiators 70/3 (LQ Target: 144) Haris Rauf to Sarfaraz, 1 runs Haris Rauf to Ahsan Ali, 1 wide Haris Rauf to Sarfaraz, 1 run Haris Rauf to Ahsan Ali, 1 run Haris Rauf to Ahsan Ali, no runs Haris Rauf to Sarfaraz, 1 run Haris Rauf to Sarfaraz, 2 runs End of over 9: Quetta Gladiators 63/3 (LQ Target: 144) Sandeep Lamichhane to Sarfaraz, 1 run Sandeep Lamichhane to Sarfaraz, 2 run Sandeep Lamichhane to Sarfaraz, no runs Sandeep Lamichhane to Ahsan Ali, 1 run Sandeep Lamichhane to Ahsan Ali, SIX Sandeep Lamichhane to Ahsan Ali, no runs End of over 8: Quetta Gladiators 53/3 (LQ Target: 144) Haris Rauf to Sarfaraz, no runs Haris Rauf to Umar Akmal, OUT Haris Rauf to Umar Akmal, no runs Haris Rauf to Ahsan Ali, 1 run Haris Rauf to Umar Akmal, 1 run Haris Rauf to Umar Akmal, FOUR End of over 7: Quetta Gladiators 47/2 (LQ Target: 144) Yasir Shah to Ahsan Ali, FOUR Yasir Shah to Ahsan Ali, no runs Yasir Shah to Umar Akmal, 1 run Yasir Shah to Umar Akmal, no runs Yasir Shah to Ahsan Ali, 1 run Yasir Shah to Ahsan Ali, SIX End of over 6: Quetta Gladiators 35/2 (LQ Target: 144) Sandeep Lamichhane to Umar Akmal, 2 runs Sandeep Lamichhane to Umar Akmal, no runs Sandeep Lamichhane to Umar Akmal, no runs Sandeep Lamichhane to Umar Akmal, no runs Sandeep Lamichhane to Umar Akmal, no runs Sandeep Lamichhane to Ahsan Ali, 1 run End of over 5: Quetta Gladiators 32/2 (LQ Target: 144) Yasir Shah to Ahsan Ali, 1 run Yasir Shah to Ahsan Ali, FOUR Yasir Shah to Ahsan Ali, no runs Yasir Shah to Umar Akmal, 1 run Yasir Shah to Umar Akmal, no runs Yasir Shah to Railee Rossouw, OUT End of over 4: Quetta Gladiators 26/1 (LQ Target: 144) David Wiese to Rilee Rossouw, 1 run David Wiese to Rilee Rossouw, no runs David Wiese to Ahsan Ali, 1 run<doc-sep>SHARJAH: Cricket fans at Sharjah witnessed another last-ball thriller in PSL on Saturday when Sarfraz Ahmed smashed David Wiese over long off for a maximum to help Quetta Gladiators beat Lahore Qalandars by 3 wickets. It was the second consecutive evening in Sharjah for fans to witness a last-ball thriller, both ending with batsmen hitting a six to help their side win the game. These two games reminded many of Miandad’s last-ball six at the same venue against India. But for Sarfraz, the shot by the former Pakistan great remains the best and his last-ball six can’t be compared to the six smashed by Miandad. “You can’t compare my last-ball six with the last-ball hit for the maximum by Javed Miandad at this venue. That was an international game and that too against India so that six by Miandad will remain the best and can’t be compared to any other shot,” he said. He, however, agreed that such back-to-back games have added excitement to action-packed PSL. Interestingly, Lahore Qalandars were involved in both games. “Yesterday they smashed a six off the final ball to win and today they conceded the six of last ball, that’s the beauty of cricket,” the Pakistan captain added. Replying to a question, the wicket-keeper batsman said that after losing early wickets it was important for him to stay on wicket. “I was trying to stay on wicket and take the game till end because I knew that standing there is important. Thanks to Allah that I got success in what I aimed for,” he said. Sarfraz remained lucky as well, as he survived a certain run-out as on-field umpire had already signalled him lbw out - which was later overturned - to make the ball dead. Gladiators also escaped at least half a dozen run-out scares as hits by Qalandars kept missing the targets. Asked if someone was praying for him to be so lucky today, he said that his family’s prayers are always with him. “We always believe in prayers and our family keeps praying for us whenever we are in middle, that’s part of our faith. “If I had got out there then things would have been difficult for us,” he said. The Gladiators skipper said his experience of playing international cricket and being in such a scenario before also helped him a lot to overcome the match pressure on Saturday against Qalandars. “We have been to such situations in international games and that helped me handle the pressure,” he said. “AB is a great player and I can’t be compared to him,” he added. With Quetta winning four out of four games, Sarfraz is now eyeing to keep the winning streak.<doc-sep>The tenth Twenty20 match in the fourth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) is one of the two matches scheduled for Friday. It will be played between Lahore Qalandars and Multan Sultans at 5-00 pm at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. It will be the fourth match in the event for the two teams as both have already played three matches each. Lahore Qalandars played all their three initial matches in Dubai; won one and lost two whereas, Multan Sultans played their first two matches in Dubai and the third in Sharjah. After losing their first match by five wickets to Islamabad United on February 14, Lahore Qalandars emerged victorious by 22 runs against Karachi Kings on February 16 but they lost their third match to Peshawar Zalmi by seven wickets on February 17. Multan Sultans also went through the same fate as they lost their first match to Karachi Kings by seven runs on February 15 and then recorded a five-wicket victory against Islamabad United on February 16, and later they were outclassed by the consistent winners, Quetta Gladiators by eight wickets on February 20 in Sharjah. The highest totals so far by Multan Sultans is 176-9 (vs Karachi Kings) and by Lahore Qalandars 171-8 (vs Islamabad United). Veteran cricketer Shoaib Malik, who is captaining Multan Sultans, has consistently been scoring runs and is the leading run-getter for his team and with 136 (ave 68.00) in three matches with two fifties. He is second among the four batsmen, who have so far scored 100 runs and above in PSL4. The highest scorer for Lahore Qalandars is Fakhar Zaman who has made 97 runs in three matches. Pacer Rahat Ali of Lahore Qalandars is among the leading wicket takers of the PSL4, as he has so far captured eight wickets in three matches whereas his team mate and a sensational discovery in the event Haris Rauf bagged five wickets in three matches. The leading bowlers for Multan Sultans are off-spinner Chris Green, leg-spinner Shahid Afridi and left-arm pacer Junaid Khan, who took three wickets each. Squads Lahore Qalandars: Fakhar Zaman, Sohail Akhtar, AB de Villiers, Anton Devcich, Brendan Taylor, Carlos Brathwaite, Yasir Shah, Rahat Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Agha Salman, Hardus Viljoen, Hassan Khan. Multan Sultans: Shan Masood, James Vince, Tom Moores, Shoaib Malik, Laurie Evans, Andre Russell, Shahid Afridi, Hammad Azam, Daniel Christian, Ali Shafiq, Chris Green, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Irfan, Steve Smith.<doc-sep>
The 12th T20 match in the fourth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) will be played on Saturday at 5-00 pm at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. This will be the first of the two matches scheduled for Saturday. This match will be played between Lahore Qalandars and Quetta Gladiators and this will be the fifth match for the Qalandars while the Gladiators will appear for the fourth time in the event. Earlier, Lahore won two of their four matches securing four points while Quetta won all their three matches and are leading all the teams with six points on the table. Quetta Gladiators won their three matches against Peshawar Zalmi by 6 wickets, Islamabad United by seven wickets and Multan Sultans by eight wickets - what a gradual improvement in victory margin and their chasing ability. On the other hand, Lahore Qalandars after losing the inaugural match of the event to Islamabad United by five wickets came back with a 22-run victory over Karachi Kings. Later, they were beaten by seven wickets against Peshawar Zalmi but soon back with a bang last night chasing a huge target of 201 against Multan Sultans. They plundered 204 for four to set a record for the highest total in the history of PSL. Thus, with this sensational victory, the Qalandars have come to the form for facing Quetta Gladiators, who are going undefeated so far in the tournament. Their highest scorer so far is Shane Watson with 161 runs in three matches with two fifties whereas for Lahore Qalandars it is Fakhar Zaman, who made 160 in four matches with two half-centuries. The highest wicket-taker for Lahore Qalandars is Rahat Ali, who has so far bagged eight wickets in four matches while Sohail Tanvir is the highest wicket-taker for Quetta Gladiators with five wickets in three matches. However, the clash between the Gladiators and Qalandars will be expected to be exciting. Squads Lahore Qalandars: Fakhar Zaman, Sohail Akhtar, AB de Villiars, Ap Devcich, Bradan Taylor, Craig Brathwaite, Yasir Shah, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Rahat Ali, Agha Salman, GCViljoen, Hassan Khan Quetta Gladiators: Ahmed Shehzad, Shane Watson, RR Rossouw, Umar Akmal, Sarfraz Ahmed, Dwayne Smith, Mohammad Nawaz, Sohail Tanvir, Mohammad Irfan, Ghulam Mudassar, Fawad Ahmed, Ahsan Ali