Image Credit- PSL
With a 16-run victory over Peshawar Zalmi on Sunday,
the reorganised Quetta Gladiators had a glorious start in the Pakistan Super
League thanks to a fierce 157-run partnership between opening batsmen Jason Roy
and Saud Shakeel.
Roy led Quetta to 206 for 5 with a brisk 75 off 48 balls, and left-hander
Shakeel, who had to wait 33 games for his PSL debut, hit an equally impressive
74 off 47 deliveries.
Peshawar had a quick start to the chase with 90 runs
off 51 balls thanks to Babar Azam (68) and Saim Ayub (42), but in the second
half of the innings, their pursuit faltered and they were eventually restricted
to 190-6.
One of the biggest adjustments Quetta has made this season was the appointment
of South Africa’s Rilee Rossouw as captain. When Quetta missed the playoffs for
four straight seasons, they fired longtime captain Sarfaraz Ahmed.
Together with selecting Mohammad Amir in the first
round of the draft for the first time after the left-arm fast bowler spent the
previous eight seasons with the Karachi Kings, Quetta has also hired Australian
coaches Shane Watson as head coach and Shaun Tait as bowling coach.
After brilliantly bowling upfront, Amir (1-29) was suitably rewarded by taking
Rovman Powell for a late wicket in his final over.
With Pakistan Under-19 player Mohammad Zeeshan failing to strike the
appropriate lengths during the powerplay and fast bowler Aamer Jamal spraying
the ball all around, Roy and Shakeel took advantage of Peshawar’s careless
speed bowling.
Peshawar lost a specialist spinner in the middle overs
to limit Quetta’s free-scoring openers, but Jamal was removed after scoring 29
runs in his two overs.
Ayub’s offspin was also a poor choice for Captain Babar, as Shakeel hit him for
three consecutive sixes in an over and established a solid opening stand with
Roy off 92 balls.
After Shakeel holed out to Babar, Englishman Luke Wood broke the towering
opening stand. Peshawar responded momentarily at the finish through Salman
Irshad (3-38). Quetta lost four wickets for 34 runs when Roy could not clear
Irshad’s low full ball and was brilliantly caught low at midwicket.
The needless run-out of Ayub in the ninth over got
Peshawar off the hook and legspinner Abrar Ahmed (2-29) picked up the key
wickets of Babar and Tom Kohler-Cadmore (18) in one over to seal the game for
Quetta.