In a pulsating contest at the Pakistan Super League (PSL) eliminator, Islamabad United defeated Quetta Gladiators. They bundled Quetta out for 179 in just 19.4 overs. The narrative of the game belonged to the Islamabad United bowlers, who completely crushed the Quetta innings.
Quetta Gladiators, led by captain Saud Shakeel, struggled to build a substantial partnership against a formidable Islamabad United bowling attack. The only real standout performer for Quetta was Sahibzada Farhan, who scored a vital 52 runs, anchoring the middle order through the horrible collapse. Sadly, the team did not succeed as they lost their final wicket with only a few balls left to play.
Islamabad United’s captain, Shadab Khan, called for a masterful defensive bowling tactic that proved to be a 10 million dollar move. Mohammad Amir turned in a brilliant short spell, with 4 overs costing just 31 runs and seeing him take 2 wickets. Faheem Ashraf was no less damaging as he pitched in with his 3 overs, conceding 33 runs and claiming 2 wickets. Abrar Ahmed and Usman Tariq both were instrumental in dismantling the Gladiators’ batting lineup. Ahmed took 1 wicket for 27 runs and Tariq led the attack with superb figures of 3-32 in his 4 overs.
Quetta’s innings suffered an early blow as they lost their most impressive opener, Alex Hales, for a duck. This early loss exacerbated the middle order’s pressure to step up. Unfortunately for Farhan, the team collapsed under pressure as they were unable to recover from a vicious Islamabad bowling onslaught. Wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal failed to take two key chances as the innings wore on.
Meanwhile, Islamabad United’s chase started rather poorly. Rassie van der Dussen was a brief shining light for his team, scoring an excellent 35 runs. On the other hand, Imad Wasim’s (5) failure at the crease was a big let-down. It was the team’s resolve and ability to ride on Quetta’s misfortunes that saw them through in the end.
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