Karachi Kings captain David Warner took a lighthearted jab at Lahore Qalandars’ skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi after his incorrect prediction about the pitch conditions.
In a thrilling match on Sunday night at Gaddafi Stadium, Karachi Kings defeated Lahore Qalandars by 4 wickets. After the match, while praising his team’s performance, Warner also mocked Shaheen’s forecast about the pitch, which was supposed to favor spin.
Smiling, Warner said, “Shaheen had predicted that the pitch would turn, but not a single ball has spun in the last three matches. I was surprised by his statement.”
The match, reduced to 15 overs due to rain, saw Lahore Qalandars score 160 runs. Openers Mohammad Naeem and Fakhar Zaman provided explosive starts, scoring 65 runs off 29 balls and 51 runs off 33 balls, respectively.
In response, Karachi Kings chased down the revised target of 168 runs with three balls to spare. Young batsman Irfan Khan Niazi played a match-winning knock of 48* runs, leading his team to victory.
Despite Lahore’s reliance on spinners due to the anticipated spin-friendly conditions, Warner trusted his fast bowlers, and it proved to be the right decision.
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“We didn’t change our strategy, and our bowlers delivered brilliantly. Now, there doesn’t seem to be space for more spinners in the team,” Warner remarked.
He also praised Irfan Khan Niazi’s performance, saying, “It was a fantastic win. Irfan’s innings guided us to victory. We had faith in him, and he showed his class today.”
Following this victory, Karachi Kings moved to third place on the PSL 10 points table with 10 points, having won five of their eight matches.
Karachi Kings will play their next match against Peshawar Zalmi on May 8 and Islamabad United on May 10, both in Rawalpindi.
