KARACHI: Mohammad Wasim Jr smashed a last-ball six to muscle Quetta Gladiators into the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 9 playoffs with a tense six-wicket victory over Lahore Qalandars here on Sunday.

The enthralling victory led Quetta Gladiators into their first PSL playoffs since winning the title in 2019.

They joined Multan Sultans, Peshawar Zalmi and Islamabad United in the final four while the Qualifier and Eliminator ties will be decided after the completion of the group stage matches.

Chasing 167 on a tricky National Bank Cricket Arena’s surface, the Gladiators had to make hard yards to seal the all-important victory.

The 2019 champions required 14 off Shaheen Shah Afridi’s final over with their mainstay Saud Shakeel and wicketkeeper batter Laurie Evans at the crease.

They had an unwanted start to the over as Evans fell on the first delivery, courtesy of a sharp catch in the deep by Tahir Baig.

Saud then smashed Shaheen for consecutive boundaries on the third and fourth delivery but managed only a single on the penultimate delivery, leaving the Gladiators needing four from one.

Mohammad Wasim Jr then displayed nerves of steel and heaved Shaheen for a six on the final delivery to seal the victory for his side.

Earlier, Jason Roy gave the Gladiators a flying start to the pursuit by hitting Shaheen for three consecutive boundaries.

But Qalandars’ bowling unit regrouped and managed to stop the flow of runs while Jahandad Khan provided them with important breakthroughs by dismissing Roy (18) and Rilee Rossouw (13) in the sixth and ninth over respectively.

Khawaja Nafay and Saud Shakeel then combined to form an anchoring partnership and kept the scoreboard ticking.

They added 70 runs for the third wicket before Nafay perished in the 18th over after scoring a frustrating 26 off 24 deliveries.

Saud Shakeel carried his bat all the way through and remained the top-scorer for the Gladiators with a well-crafted 88. His 65-ball knock featured five boundaries and four sixes.

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Opting to bat first, Lahore Qalandars set a stiff target for Quetta Gladiators in their all-important PSL 9 fixture.

The defending champions had a cautious start to their innings as in-form opener Sahibzada Farhan knitted a 38-run stand with Tahir Baig before both fell victim to Abrar Ahmed in the sixth over.

Farhan scored 25 off 22 deliveries, hitting four boundaries while Baig made a scratchy 12 off 13.

Abdullah Shafique then put on a one-sided partnership with Shai Hope, who managed a mere five off seven deliveries before walking back in the 10th over with just 69 runs on the board.

Promoted himself to bat up the order, Shaheen Shah Afridi partnered strongly with Abdullah Shafique and put Lahore Qalandars in control.

The duo added a monumental partnership for the fourth wicket with both scoring half-centuries in the process.

Their partnership yielded 91 runs off 57 deliveries before Mohammad Amir struck in the final over to get rid of Shaheen.

Qalandars’ skipper smashed two boundaries and four sixes on his way to a 34-ball 55.

Meanwhile, Shafique carried his bat all the way through and top-scored for the Qalandars with an unbeaten 59. His 39-ball knock featured three boundaries and two sixes.

For the Gladiators, Abrar Ahmed bagged two wickets while Amir and Mohammad Wasim Jr made one scalp each.

It is worth mentioning here that the two-time champions and holders Lahore Qalandars are already out of the playoffs race while Quetta Gladiators need one victory out of their remaining two fixtures to seal their spot in the final four.

The Gladiators are fourth in the PSL 9 standings with nine points in eight matches while the Qalandars are at the bottom with three points in nine matches.

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