Gladiators gallop to commanding victory as Pindiz flounder in Karachi
By Nawaz Gohar ; In a display of sheer tactical superiority and clinical execution, the Quetta Gladiators dismantled the PSL debutants, RawalPindiz, by 61 runs at the National Bank Stadium on Friday.
A vintage half-century from Rilee Rossouw, followed by a late-inning blitz and a disciplined bowling masterclass, ensured the Gladiators maintained their momentum in the 18th match of PSL 11.
After being invited to bat, the Gladiators recovered from an early stutter. The departure of debutant Sam Harper (8) left Quetta at a precarious 22/1, but Rilee Rossouw joined forces with skipper Saud Shakeel to reconstruct the innings. The duo’s 87-run stand provided the bedrock, with Rossouw hammering 53 off 42 balls before falling to Mubasir Khan.
While Mohammad Amir (2/35) and Ben Sears (3/41) threatened to derail the innings with quick wickets, middle-order batter Hasan Nawaz turned the tide. In a sensational display of power-hitting, Hasan smoked five towering sixes in a 16-ball 39. Jahandad Khan provided the final flourish with a blistering 21* off just 6 deliveries, propelling Quetta to a formidable 182/6.
Chasing 184, the RawalPindiz batting lineup looked like a house of cards against a relentless Quetta attack. The debutants never found their rhythm, eventually bundled out for a meager 121 in 17.3 overs.
Saad Masood offered the only real resistance with a spirited 31 off 19 balls, while Daryl Mitchell’s laboured 30 off 32 deliveries did little to bridge the mounting run-rate gap. Beyond brief cameos from Yasir Khan (22) and Abdullah Fazal (20), the Pindiz’s scorecard made for grim reading.
Quetta’s bowling unit operated like a well-oiled machine. Captain Saud Shakeel led from the front with the ball, picking up 2/13, while the mystery of Usman Tariq and the pace of Jahandad Khan also accounted for two wickets apiece. Spinners Kashif Bhatti and Abrar Ahmed tightened the screws further, sharing a wicket each to complete the rout.
With this emphatic victory, the Gladiators have signaled a warning to the rest of the league, while RawalPindiz is left searching for answers—and their first win—in what is turning out to be a baptism of fire in the eight-team tournament.
Brief Score:
Quetta Gladiators: 182/6 (20 overs) | R. Rossouw 53, Hasan Nawaz 39; B. Sears 3/41 beat RawalPindiz: 121 all out (17.3 overs) | S. Masood 31, D. Mitchell 30; S. Shakeel 2/13, U. Tariq 2/15 by 61 runs.
