Sharjah: Sharjah Cricket Stadium has geared up for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) play-offs to be held on Tuesday and Wednesday. With all the eight matches of the second leg that were played here ending in exciting finishes, the play-off clashes are also expected to be edge of the seat thrillers.
Peshawar Zalmi are the table-toppers followed by Quetta Gladiators in second slot. Karachi Kings surprisingly finished third over defending champions Islamabad United who are in fourth place. With no team claiming an unbeaten run, there are no clear favourites in the play-off. It was a sad end for Brendon McCullum-led Lahore Qalandars, who had beaten Islamabad twice and Karachi once, as they crashed out of the tournament.
In the last match on Sunday at the Dubai International stadium, the Kumar Sangakkara-led Karachi team, who began badly in this tournament, were left to score 111 runs to qualify for the play-off and 124 for an outright win over Islamabad. They achieved both and clinched the third slot.
Karachi and Islamabad will have a rematch in an elimination play-off Wednesday in Sharjah while the leaders Peshawar will take on Quetta Tuesday. The third qualifying final will be held on March 3 at Dubai International Stadium.
Title holders Islamabad are disappointed at having finished last in the table. Islamabad skipper Misbah, speaking after the defeat to Karachi on Sunday, said: “Loss is a loss and you feel disappointed if you lose a game like that. A win would have taken us to the top and given us two chances. We missed that, but we now have another chance and we will look to come out and do well.”
Karachi skipper Sangakkara is delighted that his star batsman Chris Gayle regained his touch to sink Islamabad. “Today was the right time to bring Chris back. Chris got some good very impressive runs. We need to take things as they come. Now the play-offs are here and we need to do well.”
Gayle too has warned his opponents to beware.
“Hopefully, this is the start of a new beginning. I hope I can build on this but what was more important was to qualify and we have achieved it. It’s an another chance, another opportunity against the same team, so I am looking forward to that as well.”
Lahore captain McCullum, who felt that his team missed out on key moments, said: “We are not satisfied. You want to be winning the competition, that is what you turn up to do. But it is a fickle game, and you have to roll with the punches sometimes.”
Islamabad team coach Dean Jones, summed up the feeling of his team; “I would have loved to have got a double chance (finish one or two) that’s what we were playing for tonight to win one game and go straight to Lahore. You know that’s the way it is, we have to cope with it just like last year — so just win the last game now and it’s about winning your last game.”
Brief scores:
Karachi Kings bt Islamabad United by six wickets. Islamabad United 123 for 7 in 15 overs (Dwayne Smith 49, Brad Haddin 20, Mohammad Amir 2 for 25, Sohail Khan 2 for 23, Usman Khan 2 for 25) Karachi Kings 127 for 4 in 14.5 overs (Babar Azam 27, Chris Gayle 44, Kieron Pollard 20n.o, Shadab Khan 3 for 13) Man of the match: Chris Gayle.
Play-off fixtures:
Feb 28: 8pm: Sharjah Cricket Stadium: 1st Qualifying Final: Peshawar Zalmi v Quetta Gladiators
March 1: 8pm: Sharjah Cricket Stadium: 2nd Qualifying Final: Islamabad United v Karachi Kings
March 3: 8pm: Dubai International stadium: 3rd Qualifying final: Winner Play-off 2 vs Runner Up Play-off 1)
