Moeen, Hasan Ali star as Karachi Kings edge past Quetta Gladiators

An all-round performance from Moeen Ali spearheaded Karachi Kings to a come-from-behind 14-run win in their opening game over Quetta Gladiators. The former England allrounder scored an unbeaten 48 off 29 and sent down a tight four over spell. He was complemented by a superb bowling showing from Hasan Ali, who took 4 for 27 to turn the tables on Gladiators, who had got off to a flyer in pursuit of 182. That was thanks to a lightning half-century from Shamyl Hussain, but with little support lower down the order, Gladiators' challenge fizzled out as they ended up on 167. Gladiators had won the toss, with Saud Shakeel opting to put Kings in to bat at the Gaddafi. They got off to a great start when Alzarri Joseph bowled out Muhammad Waseem in the first over. However, he was unable to stop David Warner and Salman Agha from scoring 44 in four overs in the next three overs. Ahmed Daniyal kept Agha in front, but his 22 off 10 was a good cameo in the powerplay, and Saad Baig was good support as Warner kept moving quickly through the first ten minutes. Kings lost their way for about seven overs after that, just like they did with Lahore Qalandars yesterday. Moeen and Azam Khan played poorly in a partnership that scored nine runs in 17 balls. Although the rate picked up in the next couple of overs, Gladiators were able to successfully control Kings. It seemed at the time as though runs had been left behind, despite Moeen's few useful blows at the death that enabled his side to sneak over 180. That feeling was heightened by Gladiators' terrifying initial Powerplay. Shamyl was the architect of that carnage, especially at the back-end of the Powerplay, where Hasan Ali, Shahid Aziz and Mir Hamza combined to go for 48 runs in three overs as Quetta surged to 75 in the Powerplay. Off the last delivery of the fielding restrictions, Shamyl lofted Mir Hamza to bring up a 21-ball half-century. However, for the Gladiators, it was the best they could get. Adam Zampa came on as he has in the past and ended the opposition's innings with a screeching stop. He scored 5 runs in his first over and then struck in the second to cheaply dismiss Khawaja Nafay. Shamyl was unable to penetrate a short delivery, but Salman Agha was able to eliminate him at the other end. Slowly, the asking rate began to rise again. Hasan Ali returned with a superb three-over spell to make up for his initial 16-run over, varying the pace of his deliveries masterfully. He cleaned up Rilee Rossouw around the wicket before a three-wicket over in the penultimate over ended any Gladiators' attempts to reduce the score. Mir Hamza had the straightforward task of defending 30 in the final over as Kings sealed a win which showcased both their bowling and batting strengths to get off to the perfect start.