All-round Islamabad United knocked Quetta Gladiators out of the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 9 with a 39-run win in the Eliminator 1 at the National Bank Stadium, Karachi.
Chasing a 175-run target, Quetta were bundled out for just 135 runs at the National Bank Stadium, Karachi.
Quetta had a golden chance to get a step closer to the final, but they failed – again. In pursuit of the total, they lost half the side inside the powerplay for just 23 runs.
It looked all over for them, but Akeal Hosein's 18-ball 31 gave Quetta fans a glimpse of hope. However, a great mixup in the middle saw Akeal getting run out in the 12th over.
His 52-run partnership with Umair Yousuf was the highest stand for Quetta. The wicket of Mohammad Wasim Jr (10-ball 6) further dented Quetta’s chances.
Mohammad Amir and Umair Yousuf’s counterattack brought them closer to the target. The two put together a 41-run stand for the 8th wicket, but it was not sufficient as Quetta were bowled out for 135 runs in the 18.4 overs.
First innings
Batting first after winning the toss, Islamabad started cautiously, trying to keep wickets in hand. They scored 51 runs in the powerplay with the loss of Alex Hales (23 off 20).
Salman Ali Agha, who walked at 3, charged Quetta’s bowling attack to accelerate the scoring rate. His 21-ball 31 took Islamabad to 102 in the 12th over.
Shadab Khan (23 off 13), and Azam Khan (18 off 6) also contributed with the bat. However, Quetta tightened the noese in the last five overs, taking five wickets within the span of 15 balls, and 12 runs.
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Naseem Shah hit Mohammad Amir for a last-ball six to take Islamabad to a fighting total of 174/9.
For Quetta, Amir was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 20/2 in his 4 overs.
Playing XIs
Islamabad United: Alex Hales, Martin Guptill, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan (c), Azam Khan (wk), Haider Ali, Imad Wasim, Faheem Ashraf, Naseem Shah, Hunain Shah, Obed McCoy
Quetta Gladiators: Jason Roy, Saud Shakeel, Khawaja Nafay, Rilee Rossouw (c), Omair Bin Yousuf, Laurie Evans (wk), Akeal Hosein, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Mohammad Amir, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Tariq
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