KARACHI: Islamabad United defeated Quetta Gladiators by 43 runs in the 10th match of the seventh edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2022 at National Cricket Stadium on Thursday.
The Gladiators got off to a good start with their openers racing away to 54 off 35, giving them the perfect start in a steep chase. However, once that stand was broken, the slide couldn t be halted as United struck with timely wickets as skipper Shadab Khan ran through the middle order to return 5-28. Ahsan Ali fell for a 27-ball 50 as the middle order batsmen couldn t put on too many runs.
The falling wickets the runs became hard to come by and the run-rate began to mount. Mohammad Nawaz and James Faulkner then staged a counterattack and kept them in the hunt with a stand late down the order that fetched Quetta 76 runs in 32 balls, but as many as 70 were needed off the last 3 overs which was an ask too much in the end. Nawaz fell in the penultimate over for a 22-ball 47, while Faulkner was unbeaten on 30 off 14 balls.
Quickfire fifties from Stirling, Munro and Azam paved the way for the highest total in the tournament so far after Islamabad were put in to bat.
Munro belted five sixes and three fours in his unbeaten 39-ball 71, while Azam had six sixes and two fours in his 35-ball 65 as the pair batted the Gladiators out of the game in their association that fetched United 93 runs in just 52 balls, taking them past 220. There was a period of lull between overs 15 and 19 when Quetta pulled things back giving away just 36, but the final over hurt them as 20 runs were conceded as Azam smashed Shahid Afridi for three sixes, leaving him with figures of 1-67 in his four overs as there was a switch in momentum again.
Earlier, Quetta Gladiators had won the toss and invited Islamabad United to bat.
Squad
Quetta Gladiators:
Ahsan Ali, James Vince, Ben Duckett, Sarfaraz Ahmed (c)(wk), Iftikhar Ahmed, Abdul Bangalzai, Mohammad Nawaz, Shahid Afridi, James Faulkner, Sohail Tanvir, Naseem Shah
Islamabad United:
Alex Hales, Colin Munro, Paul Stirling, Shadab Khan (c), Asif Ali, Azam Khan (wk), Mubasir Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Wasim, Hasan Ali, Waqas Maqsood
