DUBAI // Chris Gayle finally made his presence felt in a Pakistan Super League match – and he did so just in time to guide Karachi Kings through to the play-offs with a six-wicket win over Islamabad United.
With an average of under 10 and a strike-rate in the 70s, the West Indian powerhouse had been so curiously out-of-sorts in the tournament previously he was dropped for the last match.
He was recalled immediately, for the final league tie against Islamabad a night later, and he batted as though he had a point to prove.
He blazed 44 in 17 balls, racking up five huge sixes in the process, to put Karachi on the path to the knock-out phase, and send their fierce rivals Lahore Qalandars out in the process.
It might be fair to suggest few foresaw Gayle coming good to such an effect, in a competition he has oddly struggled in during its first two seasons.
However, his Caribbean compatriot Kieron Pollard had hinted exactly this sort of thing might happen when he staged his own vital intervention in a vital win over Lahore a day earlier.
“He is a big player in his own right, his stats show it, and I’m sure if he gets another opportunity in this tournament he’s going to win a couple of games,” Pollard had said on Saturday.
“It might be when we need him the most, perhaps in the semi-final and final so let’s not count him out just yet.”
This was just that time, on a day affected by the heavy rain that fell throughout the day.
Karachi had made it through rush-hour traffic and flooded roads to get to the ground on time for the scheduled 8pm start, which was obviously going to be delayed anyway with the covers on and rain still falling.
Islamabad and the match officials were still absent, though, and at one point it seemed the match was unlikely to take place at all. That would have sent Karachi through.
The match eventually started at 9.30pm. It was reduced to 15 overs by the heavy rain that fell throughout the day, Islamabad made 123 for seven.
That meant Karachi needed 111 to be sure of qualifying on superior run-rate to Lahore, which they managed with relative ease and went on to reach their target with one ball remaining.
It meant Lahore crashed out at the league stage for the second time in the first two editions of the PSL.
pradley@thenational.ae
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