Ahsan Ali scored fifty whereas Mohammad Nawaz scored 47 to show solid fight but Islamabad United managed to defend 230 runs and beat Quetta Gladiators by 43 runs margin in 10th match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 7 here at National Stadium on Thursday.
Set to chase massive 230 runs, Ahsan started off well for Gladiators but other batters couldn’t continue longer with him. The right-handed batter scored his third PSL 7 fifty to resist a bit for his team who were bowled out for 186. His 50-runs knock included eight boundaries and a six.
Mohammad Nawaz, in the end, tried to put his team back on the track but they kept on losing wickets. He scored 47 off 22 balls laced with two boundaries and five sixes. James Faulkner remained not out for 30 including three boundaries and two sixes.
Shadab Khan bagged five wickets while Mohammad Wasim and Hasan Ali managed to take two wickets each.
Earlier, United’s batters were on song as they smacked Gladiators’ bowlers all around the park to post mammoth 229-4 in 20 overs.
United’s openers Alex Hales and Paul Stirling opened their runs account from the very start as they put together quick 55 runs. James Faulkner removed Hales (22) to give some relief to Gladiators.
But Stirling looked in red-hot touch as he smacked three maximums and seven boundaries to score 58 runs off 28 balls.
Later on, Colin Munro (72*) and Azam Khan (65) joined hands to smash opponent’s bowlers. The left-right-hand combination scored 93 runs together. Azam struck six maximums followed by Munro’s towering five sixes.
Experienced bowler Shahid Khan Afridi was smashed for eight sixes altogether and he finished as the most expensive bowler in history of PSL, conceding 67 runs in four overs. Mohammad Nawaz took two wickets.
|
Teams |
M |
W |
L |
N/R |
PT |
NRR |
|
Multan Sultans |
4 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
8 |
+0.620 |
|
Islamabad United |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
4 |
+1.194 |
|
Lahore Qalandars |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
4 |
+0.557 |
|
Quetta Gladiators |
4 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
2 |
-0.165 |
|
Peshawar Zalmi |
3 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
-1.182 |
|
Karachi Kings |
3 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
-0.998 |
A must win game for Kings tonight to stay in the competition as they will be facing Zalmi. So far, Karachi has played 3 games and lost all of them and sits bottom of the table. Zalmi won 1 out of 3 matches they played and are 5th on the points table. Kings Skipper Babar Azam are very confident to make a strong comeback in the tournament.
Also, Karachi Kings suffers a major double injury blow as Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Ilyas Ruled out for remainder of tournament.
According to the Kings, Amir intensified his back injury during the rehabilitation process and "shall also no longer be available to participate in the remainder of the HBL PSL 7".
Meanwhile, another fast bowler Ilyas, who had suffered a shoulder injury while fielding, has been advised a six-week rest after MRIs confirmed the worsening in his injury, the team management said.
Later, the Kings requested the PSL technical committee to pick Usman Shinwari as a replacement player from the league's reserve pool. Their request was granted and now the left-arm pacer, who has played for the Kings before, is available for selection.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday suspended Quetta Gladiators pacer Mohammad Hasnain from further participation in the ongoing seventh edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) as well as any form of international cricket after a bowling examination found that his right arm exceeds the permissible 15-degree limit.
Hasnain's bowling action was reported by umpires during a game between Sydney Thunder and Adelaide Strikers in Australia’s Big Bash League on January 2. He was later tested at the International Cricket Council-accredited biomechanics laboratory in Lahore as the fast bowler was due to fly back home in time to compete in the PSL.
"As per the Illegal Bowling Action Regulations, until Hasnain clears his reassessment, he will remain suspended from bowling in the international cricket," the PCB said in a statement.
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