Islamabad United thrash Lahore Qalandars by 28 runs
ABU DHABI (92 News) - Islamabad United thrashed the Lahore Qalandars by 28 runs in match number 20 of the sixth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) at Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Stadium on Sunday.
Six quick wickets by Shadab Khan's bowlers brought Islamabad United back into the game against Lahore Qalandars. Qalandars were chasing a 153 run target set by Islamabad but all out in 18.2 overs.
Sohail Akhtar and Fakhar Zaman had opened the innings for their team and taken Lahore to 55/0 before Fawad Ahmed dismissed the Qalandars captain. Akhtar was bowled for 34 on the last ball of the powerplay.
Zeeshan Ashraf then followed his skipper to the dugout after five balls. He was run out due to a mix up between him and Zaman. With the fall of the wicket, Lahore were 58/2.
Lahore looked liked they would reach the total with ease but a double-wicket over by Mohammad Musa changed the game.
Musa, in the 11th over, dismissed Mohammad Hafeez and Ben Dunk and only gave two runs to bring his side back in the game.
Zaman, who was key for Qalandars, was later dismissed in the 12th over and Musa's second when he tried to hit for a six at third man.
In the 13th over, Shadab Khan dismissed Tim David and Rashid Khan to expose Lahore's tail.
In 14th over, Shaheen Shah Afridi and James Faulkner were sent back to the pavilion. The dismissal put Lahore at 100/9 at the end of the 15th over.
The Qalandars require 53 runs in 30 balls while Islamabad need one wicket to win.
Islamabad United's innings
Earlier, a record-breaking 123-run partnership between Asif Ali and Iftikhar Ahmed took Islamabad United from 20/5 to 152/7 after Islamabad captain Shadab Khan opted to bat first at the toss.
Shadab would have been hoping that his openers would give his team a flying start but the Qalandars bowlers did not allow them to get away.
Shaheen Shah Afridi dismissed Usman Khawaja with the third ball of the match. The United opener was hoping to flick the ball towards midwicket but instead, he edged the ball to Qalandars wicketkeeper Ben Dunk.
Rohail Nazir, the next man, was about to go back to the pavilion when Shaheen trapped him with an LBW on the next ball. The batsman had decided to review the decision and was saved by a no-ball.
However, the no-ball did not prove too costly for Qalandars as James Faulkner dismissed Nazir the next over for an LBW.
Faulkner, who is proving to be an excellent edition in the PSL, sent opener Colin Munro to the dugout with an LBW in the next over.
The Australian was then asked by his captain Sohail Akhtar to bowl the last over of the powerplay. And, once again, he delivered by taking the wicket of Hussain Talat.
United had ended the powerplay at 20/4.
After Shaheen and Faulkner's magic with the ball, Haris Rauf decided to join the party. Rauf took the wicket of Shadab in the first ball of the match to take United's fifth wicket.
Despite the loss of the five wickets, Asif Ali and Iftikhar Ahmed took it upon themselves to lead Islamabad. A quick-fire fifty by Asif along with Ahmed's support pushed United past 143 runs.
The two in the innings also made the record for the highest sixth-wicket partnership in PSL history. The two had a partnership of 123 runs before Asif got himself hit wicket in the 18th over. The batsman was dismissed for 75.
SQUADS:
Lahore Qalandars: Fakhar Zaman, Sohail Akhtar (c), Zeeshan Ashraf, Mohammad Hafeez, Ben Dunk, Tim David, Rashid Khan, James Faulkner, Ahmed Daniyal, Shaheen Shah Afridi
Islamabad United: Colin Munro, Usman Khawaja, Shadab Khan (c), Rohail Nazir, Hussain Talat, Iftikhar Ahmed, Asif Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Mohammad Musa, Fawad Ahmed, Ali Khan
