With a magnificent bowling display, the Quetta Gladiators defeated Islamabad United in a low-scoring match. The Gladiators have now prevailed in three consecutive matches.
Islamabad United was restricted to a modest total by Abrar Ahmed and Muhammad Wasim Jr., which was chased by the Gladiators in 18.2 overs with three wickets in hand. Player of the Match winner Rilee Rossouw calmly led the chase.
Pitch report and toss update
The playing surface at Gaddafi Stadium is known for being among the greatest for batting, providing ideal circumstances for batters to demonstrate their abilities. However, recent records show that bowlers may not receive much assistance from the pitch.
Even the best bowlers have to work hard on this pitch, frequently at the cost of giving up runs. The Quetta Gladiators chose to bowl first after winning the toss.
After getting off to a good start the United kept lost wickets at intervals
Alex Hales and Colin Munro, the opening batsmen for United, were cautious initially. However, in the third over, Hales attacked Akeal Hosein for two consecutive sixes over long-on, only to be caught at extra cover on the next delivery. In the final over of the powerplay, Salman Ali Agha faced Mohammad Hasnain.
He hit him for four boundaries and scored eighteen runs in an over, leaving the scoreboard at sixty-one runs. Munro struggled at the crease and, after a collision with Saud, played a desperate shot toward long-on, where Rutherford pouched the ball.
Hasnain and Hosein, two bowlers from Quetta Gladiators , maintained the pressure and struck in the 9th and 10th overs, respectively, removing Shadab and Azam for dismal scores. Islamabad had scored 83-4 at the halfway point, with Agha and Jordan Cox in the middle.
The United restricted to a subpar score with the Quetta Gladiators’ sensational bowling
With an excellent catch by Nafay at deep square, Abrar came back in the 12th over to remove United’s top scorer, Agha, leaving them 87-5. With Islamabad in awful condition, Imad Wasim also failed to get off the block and was dismissed by Abrar.
Islamabad scored 138-9 in the 20 overs because of important late-inning contributions from Cox and Faheem Ashraf. With three wickets in his final two overs, Muhammad Wasim Jr. put an end to the Quetta Gladiators’s bowling effort with a flourish.
Abrar claimed three wickets as well. Hasnain, who became the 12th bowler to take 50 PSL wickets, dismissed one batter, while Akeal struck two wickets.
Jason Roy got off the Quetta Gladiators to a brisk start
Quetta Gladiators made a quick start chasing the 139-run target when Saud Shakeel was bowled out by Naseem Shah in the third over for only two runs. Quetta was down 51-2 at the end of the powerplay after they had also lost their top batsman, Khawaja Nafay, who came back for a run-a-ball nine.
Hunain Shah, making his debut in the PSL, removed the dangerous Jason Roy on the first ball of his spell. Roy was on fire at the time, having scored 37 from the 18 balls he had faced, including six fours and a maximum.
Shadab Khan stuck Sarfaraz Ahmed leg-before-wicket, leaving Quetta on 54-4 at the start of the eighth over. Quetta Gladiators were 76/4 at the end of the 10th over.
Rutherford and Rossouw put up a important partnership for the Quetta Gladiators
Captain Rilee Rossouw and southpaw Sherfane Rutherford produced an important 62-run partnership for the fifth wicket. In the sixteenth over, Naseem made a comeback to end the partnership. He dismissed Sherfane for 23 balls, 29, two sixes, and a four.
After dismissing Akeal and Wasim Jr. in consecutive overs, the Shadab-led team continued in their resistance, leaving Quetta at 127-7 with 12 needed off 17 balls. With 10 balls remaining, captain Rossouw sealed the victory for his side with a 12-run partnership with Mohammad Amir, staying undefeated at 34 off 38 balls.
Amir also contributed with an undefeated 11 off six balls. Shadab and Naseem responded with two wickets apiece for Islamabad, while Rumman Raees and Hunain took one wicket each.
