Abbas Afridi takes first hat-trick of PSL 8©Twitter
Saturday became a memorable day in the Pakistan Super League as the fans witnessed the first hat-trick of the eighth season during the game between Quetta Gladiators and Multan Sultans. The rare feat was achieved by Abbas Afridi of Sultans, who helped his side to a nine-point win in a high-scoring thriller. Asked to bat first, the Mohammad Rizwan-led Sultans posted a whopping 262/3 in 20 overs with Usman Khan crushing 120 off 43 balls. Later on, the Gladiators put up a great fight too, but were limited for 253/8, courtesy of Afridi’s hat-trick.
Afridi’s hat-trick story began in the 17th over after he dismissed Mohammad Nawaz for 16 on the fifth delivery, followed by Umaid Asif on the very next ball. Remarkably, both batters flied out to Kieron Pollard. Afridi then went on to remove Umar Akmal on the first pitch of the 19th over to register PSL 8’s first hat-trick.
Afridi with the BIG WICKET #HBLPSL8 | #SabSitarayHumaray | #QGvMS pic.twitter.com/t1VfuF8wrR
— PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) March 11, 2023
Teamwork by Afridi and Pollard to pack the QG batters #HBLPSL8 | #SabSitarayHumaray | #QGvMS pic.twitter.com/BdssBvn4yJ
— PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) March 11, 2023
FIRST hat-trick of the #HBLPSL8
Abbas Afridi on a ROLL#SabSitarayHumaray | #QGvMS pic.twitter.com/sM3KCdQUMG
— PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) March 11, 2023
It was a great performance for Afridi as, in addition to taking a hat-trick, he also managed a five wicket haul. For the Gladiators, Omair Yousuf scored 67 off 36 balls, while Iftikhar Ahmed scored 53 off 31 balls. Umar Akmal also played a fast shot of 28 off 10 balls. However, all this was not enough, as they fell nine points short.
Speaking of PSL, Islamabad United take on Peshawar Zalmi in their last league game on Sunday while Lahore Qalandars take on Karachi Kings on the same day. The season’s qualifier will be played on Wednesday, while the summit meeting will take place on March 19.
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