Quetta Gladiators edged past Islamabad United by two wickets in a last-over thriller at the Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday, with young batter Hasan Nawaz emerging as the match-winner in a high-pressure finish.
Chasing 158, Quetta were cornered, needing 15 runs from the final over. But Islamabad imploded under pressure, as Hasan was given three lives in the first four balls, each time escaping a regulation catch.
He made the most of it, finishing the match with a six, lifting Quetta across the line with one ball to spare. He remained unbeaten on a match-winning 64 off 41 balls, laced with four sixes and two boundaries.
Earlier, Islamabad United posted 157 for 9, a total that looked competitive on a slightly sluggish surface. Mohammad Nawaz provided some momentum down the order with a well-constructed 49 off 34 balls, hammering five sixes.
Sahibzada Farhan gave them a brisk start, scoring 39 off 24, but Faheem Ashraf turned the tide for Quetta with a devastating three-over spell, picking up 4 wickets for 25 runs.
The Gladiators’ chase began cautiously, with captain Saud Shakeel falling cheaply. Finn Allen and Rilee Rossouw provided short-lived stability before Islamabad clawed back into the game with regular breakthroughs.
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Mark Chapman, Haseebullah Khan, and Faheem Ashraf all fell in quick succession, and when Kyle Jamieson and Mohammad Wasim followed, Quetta were 7 down and still needing a tricky 28 off the last three overs.
But Hasan Nawaz remained the constant through the middle and death overs, playing with a mix of calm and aggression. His ability to rotate strike and pounce on poor deliveries proved crucial.
Mohammad Wasim Jr. also chipped in with a valuable 16 off 11 balls before falling to Naseem Shah in the penultimate over.
Islamabad’s undoing, however, was their fielding. They shelled five straightforward catches across the innings, three of them in the final over alone, handing Hasan Nawaz the lifeline he needed to finish the game.
The pressure of the moment seemed to overwhelm them, and what could have been a tense win turned into a gut-wrenching loss.
Naseem Shah and Salman Irshad picked up two wickets each, but Islamabad’s bowlers were let down repeatedly by their fielders, erasing the hard work done earlier in the match. Jason Holder and Mohammad Nawaz bowled with discipline, but they too saw chances go begging.
With this victory, Quetta Gladiators continue their strong run in PSL 10, climbing the points table with 11 points.
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PSL 10 points table
| Team | M | W | L | PT | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quetta Gladiators (QG) | 8 | 5 | 2 | 11 | +0.906 |
| Islamabad United (IU) | 8 | 5 | 3 | 10 | +0.650 |
| Lahore Qalandars (LQ) | 8 | 4 | 3 | 9 | +1.110 |
| Karachi Kings (KK) | 7 | 4 | 3 | 8 | +0.445 |
| Peshawar Zalmi (PZ) | 7 | 3 | 4 | 6 | -0.507 |
| Multan Sultans (MS) | 8 | 1 | 7 | 2 | -2.597 |
Next fixture
Home team Lahore Qalandars will take on arch-rivals Karachi Kings at the Gaddafi Stadium Lahore on Sunday. The match will start at 8:00 PM.
Past PSL winners
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PSL 2016 – Islamabad United
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PSL 2017 – Peshawar Zalmi
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PSL 2018 – Islamabad United
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PSL 2019 – Quetta Gladiators
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PSL 2020 – Karachi Kings
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PSL 2021 – Multan Sultans
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PSL 2022 - Lahore Qalandars
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PSL 2023 - Lahore Qalandars
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PSL 2024 - Islamabad United
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