Abdullah Shafique's fifty powered Lahore Qalandars to seal victory over Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 10's Eliminator 1 played at Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium on Thursday.
The defeat marked the end of the Kings’ campaign, while Qalandars advance further and will take on defending champions Islamabad United in the Eliminator 2, scheduled to be played at the same venue on Friday.
Chasing a daunting 191-run target, the Qalandars comfortably knocked the winning runs for the loss of just four wickets and eight balls to spare.
The hosts had a steady start to the pursuit as Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Naeem put together 42 runs for the first wicket until the latter fell victim to Hasan Ali in the fifth over.
Naeem scored 14 off 12 deliveries with the help of one four and a six.
Fakhar then shared a brief 33-run partnership for the second wicket with Abdullah Shafique until Fawad Ali dismissed him in the ninth over.
The left-handed opener remained a notable run-getter for Qalandars with a 28-ball 47, laced with five fours and three sixes.
Following his dismissal, Shafique took the reins of Qalandars’ run chase with a well-crafted half-century until walking back to the dugout in the 16th over when the home side needed a further 33 runs from 28 deliveries.
Shafique remained the top-scorer for the Qalandars with a 35-ball 65, studded with three fours and five sixes.
He also shared an anchoring 83-run partnership for the third wicket with Kusal Perera, who made a vital contribution with a 24-ball 30.
For Kings, Hasan Ali led the way with two wickets, while Fawad Ali and Mir Hamza chipped in with one scalp apiece.
Karachi Kings have set a 191-run target for Lahore Qalandars in the first eliminator of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) Season 10.
Karachi Kings scored 190 runs at the loss of 8 wickets in 20 overs. Karachi Kings Captain David Warner scored 75 runs, Khushdil Shah 27, Usman Khan 18 and Tim Seifert 16, Muhammad Nabi 16, Saad Baig 11 and James Venice 4.
Harris Rauf took three wickets, Shaheen Afridi two and Shakib Al Hasan, Muhammad Naeem and Zaman Khan one each.