LAHORE: The Gladiators of Quetta were drawing nearer. They were not cruising, but they were getting close to the meager 139-run objective that Islamabad United had set. But United was in a dire situation.
They did not back down from a brawl on this chilly Thursday night during the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) match at the Gaddafi Stadium. And the Shadab Khan-led team succeeded in doing so, but Quetta won the match by three wickets thanks to a seasoned competitor named Mohammad Amir sabotaging their celebration.
Islamabad’s perseverance paid off as Quetta needed just 23 runs from 25 balls after Sherfane Rutherford and captain Rilee Rossouw had combined for 62 runs.
Running in towards Rutherford, pace sensation Naseem Shah began the sequence by pitching the ball at a precise length in line with his off-stump, deceiving the left-hander and sending it skyward.
In an attempt to avenge his West Indies teammate’s demise, Akeal Hosein, who was brought in, launched off-spinner Salman Ali Agha for a massive six over wide long-on. However, Islamabad persisted in their hopes when Hosein was run out on the following ball.
The two-time champs’ hopes were raised when Shadab used a ripper to castle Mohammad Wasim Jr. But as soon as Amir entered, that was all to be treasured for Islamabad.
The Pakistani discard, assuming a classical left-handed stance, easily cut Shadab in front of square for a boundary. In the following over, he played an even better shot off Rumman Raees’ pace for four more runs before pushing it through the off-side once more and taking a single to give Quetta their third victory in as many games.
It was Islamabad’s second loss, and they must be kicking themselves for not scoring more runs when Gladiators captain Rilee Rossouw put them to bat.
The Gladiators’ choice to bowl first paid off because they prevented Islamabad from ever getting a foothold in terms of run flow. It was a combination of Islamabad’s poor batting and Quetta’s excellent bowling, along with a little bad luck for the two-time winners.
Salman’s 33 off 23—five fours included—was Islamabad’s greatest batting effort. They were mostly troubled by Abrar Ahmed, a spinner, and Wasim, a pacer, who each claimed three wickets.
However, Islamabad got off to a quick start as opener Alex Hales hit Hosein for two beautiful sixes over the fence. However, Hales’s innings ended when he put the spinner into the hands of Rossouw at cover.
Amir dropped the approaching Salman at eight when he attempted to pull by skidding pacer Mohammad Hasnain. Islamabad took a 60-1 lead in the powerplay thanks to three more runs from the right-hander, who had opened the over with a boundary.
Two more United wickets fell in as many overs when Munro miscued a skier and was caught in the deep off Abrar. Captain Shadab and Azam Khan both went cheaply off the bowling of Hasnain and Hosein, respectively.
In the twelfth over, Salman fell victim to Abrar’s second blow, while still appearing contented on the crease.
After that, Islamabad managed just two fours and a six as wickets continued to fall. Abrar received his third in the shape of Imad Wasim.
In the final two deliveries of the innings, Wasim claimed wickets.
Jason Roy responded by giving Quetta an early advantage by forcing Naseem to drive through the covers for back-to-back boundaries, starting the chase. Two overs later, though, the Englishman was out of the match with Saud Shakeel after Naseem trapped him leg before wicket.
The right-hander Imad, a seasoned spinner, was the next to elude Roy’s attention after he punished him for careless bowling with three fours in the fourth over.
After that, Roy hit a clean six off Naseem, but an over later, Khawaja Nafay, the first wicket, was trapped by Rumman, and United achieved a 51-2 lead during the powerplay.
When Roy played on quick bowler Hunain Shah, he was out, having gone from having 37 off 18 to walking back to the pavilion. As soon as Sarfraz Ahmed discovered his pads in front of the stumps while attempting to play his preferred sweep stroke, Quetta found themselves in even more danger.
To start things moving, Rutherford (29 off 23) hit Hunain with a backward square-leg, and Rossouw (34 not out off 38) hit his maiden boundary off Salman’s off-spin, driving through the off-side. Together, they scored 62 from 53 balls, and their connection proved to be the deciding factor between the two sides.
Salman came up with a fantastic response, allowing just three runs to pass in his subsequent over (the 13th), as Islamabad attempted to make things more difficult for the Gladiators.
An apparent error in the ball-tracking system, which showed the ball travelling in the opposite direction of its initial trajectory during a DRS review after an LBW appeal against Rossouw, also astounded the off-spinner and Islamabad.
But Islamabad had to contend with Quetta’s inability to consistently score boundaries, which made it difficult for them to contain Rutherford before Naseem cleaned up the opposition to provide an intriguing finish to the match.
SOURCE: DAWN NEWS
