Watson's 90* propels Quetta to second place
After conceding 180, Karachi put up a listless batting performance to go down by 67 runs - the heaviest margin of defeat in PSL history
After conceding 180, Karachi put up a listless batting performance to go down by 67 runs - the heaviest margin of defeat in PSL history
Commentator: Akshay Gopalakrishnan
A record win for Quetta. This is the biggest win by runs in PSL history. What a hammering this has been. Outclassed with the bat. Outclassed with the ball. Karachi never turned up and not for a moment looked to be in the contest. Shane Watson and Kevin Pietersen teed off early and Karachi never recovered thereafter. They allowed Quetta to race away to a tall total, with Watson blitzing the season's highest individual score. And the chase was mostly a procession. Every time Karachi tried to up the pace, Quetta struck to knock the wind out of the chase.
Quetta rise to second place as a result. Karachi's net run rate takes a battering after that loss and is in the negative but at fourth place, they are very much in the run for a playoffs spot as of now. But they need to regroup quickly from this defeat, because if it comes down to the small margins in the end, these are the kind of defeats that make all the difference when the final permutations come into play.
Time for the presentations.
Shane Watson is presented with the Hanif Mohammad cap for his spot atop the tournament batting charts. He is also the Man of the Match. "I felt my weight tonight, which you always need in T20 cricket," he says. You got to make the most of those good days. I'm just absolutely loving playing my cricket. It's a great franchise to be a part of."
"Credit goes to Watson and Pietersen, they did really well," says Karachi captain Imad Wasim. "They're world-class players, and on a good wicket if you drop too many catches, it's going to hurt you and it did. We will see how it goes (Afridi opening), we will see the opposition and decide. It didn't pay off tonight, but obviously Shahid can change the game in a span of a few overs."
"The way those two played today, it was an opportunity for all the youngsters to learn from," says Quetta captain Sarfraz Ahmed. "When they get set, their shot selection becomes very good. That wasn't the case in the previous game. Whether we win or lose, we try to give confidence to the lads. I have taken Rahat Ali's name very few times this tournament, but he is critical to Pakistan cricket's future. Nawaz set the tone and from there the match was in our hands, as did Anwar Ali, and Ben Laughlin being with us has been a huge help."
That's a wrap of Match 19 then. Thank you for joining us tonight. Hope to catch you all again tomorrow on another double-header day. Goodbye and good night!
Hafsah: "I am not going to be AS sad if Karachi losses because I happen to be a Karachi fan from Houston and Houston Rockets are slaying in basketball right now. #positive "
talha: "no boundry from Muhammad Rizwan, representing another unjustified selection for wicket keeper batsman in PSL after Ramdin"
After conceding 180, Karachi put up a listless batting performance to go down by 67 runs - the heaviest margin of defeat in PSL history