Lahore Qalandars won the toss and elected to bowl first against Islamabad United in match No.14 of the Pakistan Super League 2017, which proved right by the end. Umar Akmal stared with the bat for Qalandars, playing a match winning knock of 66, which over shadowed United’s young all-rounder Shadab Khan. Shadab made 42 runs and picked 2 wickets to keep United in play all throughout the game. It was the levelheadedness shown by Grant Elliot at the end, that got Qalandars past the winning line; claiming the match by 1 wicket. With this win Qalandars move upto second place in the table, ahead of United who are at No.3.
Qalandars came out with clear content chasing 146 runs to win. Delport and McCullum gave their team a decent start, before the former gave his wicket away. Mohammad Irfan opted for the short-ball strategy to near perfection getting Delport; who mistimed a pull straight into the hands of Shadab. United’s opening bowlers in Mohammad Sami and Irfan were spot-on from the get-go. Rumman Raees struck in his very first over, getting McCullum for 12. He ended up giving a simple catch to Misbah-ul-Haq at mid off.
Fakhar Zaman departed in the very next over. Shadab got him leg before for 6. In form batsman, Umar Akmal, remained the top contributor came out at No.4. Shane Watson cleaned new man Mohammad Rizwan, to a deadly yorker for 3. Amidst all the wickets Umar continued his onslaught in middle. Umar reached his fifty in style with a six over third man, his 30th in T20s.
Elliot provided ample support to Umar, during their stand of 41 runs. Umar got out playing the wrong line against Shadab for a simple leg before. West Indies spinner Sunil Narine kept the Qalandars in play hitting a few sixes of his own. Elliot continued what Umar had started, crashing boundaries at power. Narine fell for 12, Sohail Tanvir went for 1 and Aamer Yamin got out for naught to have their side 9-down. It was Elliot, who kept calm and smacked the winning six to help his team to a 1-wicket win after 3 quick wickets fell with Qalandars needing 6 to win.
Rumaan Raess, was the best bowler for united picking 3 for 26, while Irfan, Sami and Watson accounted for wicket apiece.
United put into bat first opened with Dwayne Smith and Rafatullah Mohmand. The added 28 runs for the first wicket, that saw Rafatullah get drop on back-to-back deliveries. Rafatullah’s innings finally came to end on the score of 16 as Aamer Yamin grabbed his first wicket of PSL 2017. Yamin struck soon getting Brad Haddin to edge the ball onto his stumps for just 1. Smith’s innings too came to a halting end when Yasir Shah got him leg-before for 20, after getting hit for a massive six on the previous delivery. As replays suggested Smith had a thick inside edge onto his pads.
Skipper, Misbah and Ben Duckett, snitched up a small stand for their side. The pair added 32 runs for the fourth wicket, before Misbah was given wrongly out for 16 runs. Duckett, who hardly looked settled in the middle, went after Yasir and perished for 14 runs. Duckett, tried to play the switch-hit missed the ball completely and got his stumps rattled.
Onus was on Shane Watson to provide his side with quick runs and he failed to do so. Watson, trying to play across the line, missed a straighter-one from Narine and was leg-before for 7.
It was Shadab and Amad Butt that ensured United got past 120 run mark. Shadab, in particular batted with brute, ending on 42 off 24 that included 3 sixes and two fours. The pair added 50 off 31-balls that was the saving face to a poor batting show by United. Butt made 16-ball 17 before holding out to McCullum at mid-off. Islamabad finished their innings on 145 for 8.
Yamin was the stand out bowler for Qalandars, picking 3 for 17, while Yasir ended with 2 wickets. Tanvir and Narine picked one wicket apiece.
Brief scores:
Islamabad United 145 for 8 (Shadab Khan 41, Dwayne Smith 20; Aamer Yamin 3 for 17) lost to Lahore Qalandars 146 for 9 (Umar Akmal 66, Grant Elliot 26 ; Rumaan Raees 3 for 26) by 1 wicket.
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