LAHORE: Islamabad United registered their first win in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 at the Gaddafi Stadium on Thursday, beating Quetta Gladiators by 8 wickets.
United chased down Gladiators’ target of 184 for 2 in the 19th over thanks to a match-winning knock from rising batsman Samir Minhas and a key contribution from captain Shatab Khan.
The side got off to a strong start as openers Devon Conway and Samir Minhas piled on the runs early on and laid a solid foundation for the chase.
However, the opening stand of 40 was broken when Abrar Ahmed dismissed Conway for 18 off 19 balls, including 2 fours and a six.
Abrar struck again shortly after, dismissing Andries Gouse for two runs off four balls as United were reduced to 61-2 in 6.5 overs.
Sameer and Shadab then anchored the innings and forged a crucial 50-run partnership to take the total past 100 and put their team in a commanding position.
The young opener was in sublime form, bringing up his maiden PSL half-century. Shatab was also in great touch, leading from the front and leading the team to the target with his ninth PSL half-century.
Shadab hit back-to-back boundaries against the opposition bowlers, heaping pressure on them as the match slipped away, taking Islamabad’s total past 150 in the 16th over and bringing up 100 alongside Minhas.
In the end, Islamabad United chased down the target with Samir Minhas unbeaten on 83 off 48 balls with 8 fours and 3 sixes, while Shadab Khan scored 68 off 38 balls with 5 fours and 4 sixes.
Batting first, the Gladiators managed to post 183-5 in their allotted 20 overs, despite a stellar performance from their opening pair of Shamil Hussain and Saud Shakeel.
The duo attacked Islamabad United’s bowling from the start, finding boundaries at regular intervals and taking a 50-run opening stand.
In the fifth over, fast bowler Salman Irshad dismissed Shamil Hussain for 21 off 15 balls with a four and two sixes.
Khawaja Nafey then formed a promising partnership with Shakeel but Shadab Khan dismissed the skipper for a blistering 42 off 26 balls with 3 fours and 3 sixes as the Gladiators were 71-2 in 8.1 overs.
Runs kept piling up for Quetta, but wickets fell at regular intervals. Imad Wasim scored 18 runs off 14 balls including 2 fours and a six to take Khawaja Nafe.
Shadab Khan struck again in the 12th over, first dismissing wicketkeeper-batsman Ben McDermott for 3 off six balls and then sending Bevon Jacobs for a first-ball duck as the Gladiators found themselves in trouble at 93-5.
Then Hasan Nawaz and Tom Curran put on a crucial partnership to stabilize the innings and add valuable runs to help the team cross the 100-run mark.
With Nawaz scoring 21 off Imad Wasim’s over, Quetta picked up the pace in the 16th over and put the team in a strong position. The duo shared 50 runs and kept the scoring going at a brisk pace in the final overs.
Nawaz was in fine form as he continued to hit fours to raise his bat for his fifth PSL half-century. The innings ended with Quetta Gladiators 183-5.
Nawaz remained unbeaten on 64 off 35 balls with 6 fours and 3 sixes while Curran scored 29 off 22 balls including 2 fours and a six.
Shadab Khan was the best bowler for Islamabad United, posting figures of 3/23 in four overs, while Imad Wasim and Salman Irshad contributed a wicket each.