At one stage Quetta Gladiators were teetering in the powerplay with Yasir Khan, Will Smeed and Sarfaraz Ahmed not going into double figures but then a remarkable recovery took place when Mohammad Nawaz, Najibullah Zadran and Umar Akmal came out firing on all cylinders and posted a competitive score of 179 on the baord. Fazalhaq Farooqi bowled exceptionally well in the powerplay and Rumman Raees was brilliant at the death.
Islamabad United stuttered early on with Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Alex Hales losing their wickets early in the piece but then a counter-attacking and fluent 63-run-innings from Colin Munro got their chase back on track. However, Quetta fought hard as Iftikhar Ahmed and Umaid Asif dismissed Shadab Khan and Mubasir Khan and the momentum kept on shifting from one side to another.
The pressure was building up but the main protagnists of the win were, once again, Azam Khan and today Faheem Ashraf located his groove as well. In the end, Odean Smith, who had a torrid day, was given the final over and that didn't pose a stern challange as United won by two wickets and three balls in the tank.
A Khan: "Good reading of the points table for my kids, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12. Surely the little one can revise 2 times table. Thanks cricinfo." Happy to help with the tables
Dr Hassan: "QG needs improvement in bowling, batting and captaincy "
Khalid Kundi : "Not sure what people think but I find Smith overrated."
Nabeel: "ISLU in this game is the proper demonstration of PAK team as they both have excellent powerplay a middle order collapse and a complicated finish on either side."
Shahid : "Zahid.Prediction QCIUSuper over??? " We'll have to wait for it
Haroon Farooq: "Umaid will go down as a domestic cricket legend, a cult figure for the ages"
AbbasKhan: "I witnessed words exchanged between Sarfaraz and Naween Ulhaq. Sarfaraz just can't handle his anger when a bowler doesn't toss it to his gloves."
Irfan Riaz: "3 slow balls to Azam Khan in last 2 overs and all three were dispatched for boundaries. Poor bowling on such a crucial moment" Yeah, what was that all about? He was clearly enjoying slower ones
nabeel: "well I am impressed with faheem although he played a run a ball 30 but look at the situation wehre he has played and the value he gave to his wicket was the only thing needed for ISLU to finish this game after Munro."
ARK: "Can we just appreciate the fact that how good the PSL has become with the inclusion of these terrific Afghani players. Rashid, Farooqi, Naveen and others have really made a wonderful impact to this years PSL. Really adoring every bit of their presence in each match they feature in."
END OF OVER:19 | 9 Runs 2 Wkts | IU: 171/8 (9 runs required from 6 balls, RR: 9.00, RRR: 9.00)
- Faheem Ashraf27 (28b)
- Umaid Asif4-0-37-3
- Naveen-ul-Haq4-0-37-1
Hasan Ali c Smith b Umaid Asif 1 (4m 2b 0x4 0x6) SR: 50.00
Azam Khan c Yasir Khan b Umaid Asif 35 (53m 25b 2x4 2x6) SR: 140.00
END OF OVER:18 | 13 Runs | IU: 162/6 (18 runs required from 12 balls, RR: 9.00, RRR: 9.00)
- Azam Khan29 (23b)
- Faheem Ashraf25 (26b)
- Naveen-ul-Haq4-0-37-1
- Naseem Shah4-0-28-1
Malik Murad: "Very mature inning by both Azam and Faheem. Perfect according to situation. "
nabeel: "With the fire power the both teams are having I would love a super over won't you Rvel Zahid?" I crave for super overs Nabeel, PSL 8 deserves one
Usman Mughal: "This match is perfectly hanging in the balance. One wicket here and Quetta has a real chance. And one good over will do it for Islamabad as well"
Rashid Nazir: "The danger for QG is still on the pitch in the shape of Azam Khan. This hitting bomb can blast any time. "
Shahid : "Zahid! Yes both can do it. "
Ahsan Butt: "Can't help but notice how adaptive Azam has been in this innings! He deserves another shot in the national team!"
END OF OVER:17 | 9 Runs | IU: 149/6 (31 runs required from 18 balls, RR: 8.76, RRR: 10.33)
- Faheem Ashraf23 (24b)
- Azam Khan18 (19b)
- Naseem Shah4-0-28-1
- Naveen-ul-Haq3-0-24-1
END OF OVER:16 | 7 Runs | IU: 140/6 (40 runs required from 24 balls, RR: 8.75, RRR: 10.00)
- Faheem Ashraf21 (21b)
- Azam Khan12 (16b)
- Naveen-ul-Haq3-0-24-1
- Naseem Shah3-0-20-1