LAHORE: Sameer Minhas’s unbeaten 82 and Shadab Khan’s 69 not out with the bat and three for 23 with the ball helped Islamabad United cruise past Quetta Gladiators by eight wickets as they chased the 184-run target with 10 balls to spare in the first game of the third double-header of HBL Pakistan Super League 11 here at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Thursday.
Islamabad moved up to fourth in the table with three points, just behind third-placed Peshawar Zalmi who edge them on net run rate.
With United 61 for two in 6.5 overs after Abrar struck to remove Devon Conway (18, 19b, 2x4s, 1x6) and Andries Gous (2, 4b) in his successive overs, Shadab stitched an unbeaten match-winning 128-run partnership for the third wicket with Sameer to take their side home.
At 113 for two after 13 overs, Shadab and Sameer ran riot, producing 76 runs off the next 5.2 overs, taking their side home comfortably. Shadab struck Usman Tariq for a six in the 14th over that gained 12 runs before hitting another six and a boundary off Ahmed Daniyal in the next, an over that gained 16 runs.
Sameer brought an end to the contest in style as he hit Ahmed for a six over fine leg in the 19th over. Sameer shone with 82 off 48 balls; his highest maiden half-century in all competitive cricket, aided by eight fours and three sixes.
Shadab backed his bowling performance as he struck five fours and four sixes in his 39-ball 69 not out.
Earlier, Quetta Gladiators had recovered from a precarious position courtesy an unbeaten 90-run partnership between Hasan Nawaz and Tom Curran to post 183 for five.
With Quetta 93 for five after 11.5 overs, top-scorer Hasan Nawaz and Tom Curran rebuilt the innings with a steady rotation of strike as the duo gathered 16 runs off the next three overs.
Batting first, captain Saud Shakeel and Shamyl Hussain provided an explosive start, racing to 50 in 26 balls. Shamyl fell for 21 off 15 in the fifth over, caught off Salman Irshad’s back-of-a-length delivery.
Saud continued fluently, striking three fours and three sixes in a classy 42 off 26 before Shadab had him caught at backward point via a leading edge.
Shadab then brought his side back into the contest as he clean-bowled Ben McDermott and followed it up next ball by having debutant Bevon Jacobs caught and bowled for a golden duck.
Khawaja Mohammad Nafay had already fallen to Imad Wasim moments earlier and in the space of 14 balls, Quetta had crumbled from 71 for two to 93 for five.
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