This may only been a T20 game, although by the time Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Hafeez drove Quetta Gladiators out from the competition, it felt like a story. Chris Gayle scored his maximum PSL score, 68 out of 40 balls – helped by many dropped catches across the way – long back, or so it would seem, to help Quetta post 178, this championship’s highest first innings score. Then it looked like a tournament total, but a spectacular attack by Hafeez and Zaman aided Lahore Qalandars create the goal short, and they got there for more than one over to spare.

In the period of two overs, Hafeez was extremely harmful, snatching a game that appeared like sliding by the scruff, pressuring an asking rate that had risen above 11 back under a run-a-ball. By the end, it’s like stick cricket; the sixes and fours that Hafeez was hitting seemed to come as quickly as buttons were pressed on a keyboard, with the uncontrollable rage of Quetta skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed visible to the world’s cameras. Only 58 balls came off the undefeated 115-run second wicket partnership, with Hafeez accountable for scoring 73 off them in the 33 deliveries he confronted.

Quetta reconfigured the batting line-up after becoming put in to bat, even if they didn’t make significant changes. With Lahore Qalandars allowing them only 38 runs with in Powerplay, Banton and Saim Ayub fell quickly again, but Gayle and Sarfaraz might well accrue a 101-run partnership which put Quetta back on track. Sarfaraz seemed to be more gently timing the ball than was ever proven quite some time, but while Gayle was not at his greatest, it did not deter him from stabbing five fours or as many sixes on his manner to his side simply top-scoring. Only at end, Mohammad Nawaz put in a starring role and Quetta had all the strength then, but there were other ideas for Hafeez and Fakhar.