RAWALPINDI: Wicketkeeper batter Adam Rossington struck a magnificent half-century before a late onslaught by skipper Imad Wasim and Aamer Yamin propelled Karachi Kings to 164/6 against Quetta Gladiators in the 22nd match of the Pakistan Super League.
Put into bat first, the Kings managed to accumulate a decent total on the board at the back of an anchoring fifty by Rossington, followed by a late onslaught by Imad and Yamin.
Earlier, the Kings got off to an unwanted start as the side lost their hard-hitting opener, Matthew Wade, for a golden duck on the first delivery of the innings; courtesy of a beautiful outswinger by Naseem Shah.
Tayyab Tahir then looked to settle things down as he stitched a crucial 25-run partnership with Rossington but Aimal Khan struck in his first over to send him back to the pavilion.
With Kings losing two wickets in the first powerplay, Rossington stood up for his team and put on a gritty third-wicket partnership with Qasim Akram.
Rossington was the core aggressor of the 33-run stand while Qasim was holding his ground firm until Aimal dismissed him to draw third success for the Gladiators. Qasim could score eight off 10 deliveries.
The Kings then dealt a major blow in the 12th over Mohammad Nawaz dismissed experienced Shoaib Malik, who scored 13 off 15.
Kings’ in-form skipper Imad Wasim then joined Rossington in the middle and scripted an astounding recovery for his side as the pair took the Gladiators’ bowlers to the cleaners.
Naveen-ul-Haq, however, provided Gladiators with a much-needed breakthrough in the 17th over when he removed Rossington with a short-pitch delivery.
The wicketkeeper batter top-scored for the Kings with a 45-ball 69, which featured 10 boundaries and a six.
The Kings then lost another wicket in the next over when Naseem castled James Fuller with a ruthless yorker and pushed the opposition into trouble.
However, an astonishing seventh-wicket partnership between Yamin and Imad, bolstered Kings to a respectable total of 164/6 as the pair dominated the Gladiators’ bowlers at the backend.
The duo raised brisk 33 runs in the last 15 balls of the innings with Yamin leading the charge with his magnificent unbeaten cameo of 23 in 11 deliveries, laced up with a boundary and two sixes.
Imad, on the other hand, once again carried his bat all the way through, as he remained unbeaten on a 20-ball 30, which included three boundaries and a six.
Naseem and Aimal led the bowling attack of the Gladiators with two wickets each, while Nawaz and Naveen picked up a wicket each.
