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- The choice to bowl first paid off for Islamabad, despite a strong start from their adversaries who set a 196-run target
- Shadab Khan’s unbeaten knock of 74 powered Islamabad to an impressive victory against the defending champions
ISLAMABAD: In the opening match of the 9th HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) Twenty20 championship, Islamabad United, two-time champions, secured a notable 8-wicket win against the reigning champions Lahore Qalandars, with 10 balls to spare, following their decision to field first.
The choice to bowl first paid off for Islamabad, despite a strong start from their adversaries.
Sahibzada Farhan led the charge with a brisk 57 from 36 balls, while Rassie van der Dussen’s aggressive play yielded 71 runs off 41 balls, anchoring the innings.
Lahore’s innings also saw an early setback when opener Fakhar Zaman (13) was dismissed by captain Shadab Khan, failing to clear the field and caught by Faheem Ashraf, curtailing a promising start.
Despite losing 5 wickets, Lahore left a tough target of 196 by the end of their 20-over innings.
In response, Islamabad got off to a confident start, scoring 50 runs in the powerplay while only losing Colin Munro in the process.
An unbeaten knock of 74 by Shadab Khan, which included a 138-run partnership with Salman Ali Agha (64 not out) for the third wicket, led Islamabad to an impressive victory.
Lahore were able to give a competitive target to Islamabad due to van der Dussen’s unbeaten knock, which included four fours and three sixes.
The South African batter, who had featured for United in the last PSL edition, brought up his maiden half-century in the game off just 31 balls.
For Islamabad, Naseem Shah, who returned to competitive cricket after a gap of almost six months, took one wicket for 36 runs.
Leg-spinner Shadab, also came back from injury, giving away 24 runs while bagging a solitary wicket in his quota of four overs.
Tymal Mills was the most successful bowler for Islamabad, getting two wickets for 45 runs in four overs.
Lahore’s Qaddafi Stadium would host two matches on Sunday. The first one will be between Quetta Gladiators and Peshawar Zalmi, while the second will bring Multan Sultans and Karachi Kings face to face with each other.