Young stars light up PSL opener

KARACHI: Defending champions Quetta Gladiators kicked off the fifth edition of the PSL in style as they cruised to a win over Islamabad United in the tournament opener on Thursday. Chasing 169 on a balmy Karachi night, the Gladiators reached their target with nine balls and three wickets to spare.
On a historic day when the PSL finally arrived for a full season in Pakistan, another unsavory aspect of Pakistani cricket history cropped up at the start. Former international batsman and Quetta Gladiators’ player Umer Akmal was suspended as the day began, with an investigation pending into alleged fixing. But despite that bombshell, Quetta sounded confident after they won the toss and chose to field.
The official start was delayed after a spectacular, if rather long, opening ceremony came to a circuitous end. But the cricket was off to a cracker, as Quetta took a wicket first ball with Mohammad Nawaz dismissing Colin Munro off his own bowling. Islamabad United however, the league’s most successful side with two trophies, took that loss in their stride. With Dawid Malan cracking big shots, the team from the capital threatened a massive score as they reached the halfway point at 95/2.
Enter Mohammad Hasnain. One of several irresistible young pacers that the league has thrown up over the years, the Karachi native was ferociously fast as he ripped out four wickets in a superb spell. The chalk to his cheese was Ben Cutting, the overseas bowler, who kept taking pace off the ball as he added three crucial wickets to his account. It meant that United collapsed in slow-motion, losing their final eight wickets for just 73 runs and failing to play out their 20 overs.
In reply, Islamabad United initially threatened to have their own young pacer, Musa Khan, take the game away. On a night where the pacers outbowled the spinners, Musa led the way as Quetta lost three quick wickets for next to nothing. But then, yet another youngster decided it was going to be his day.
Azam Khan, son of former captain and Quetta coach Moin Khan, had walked out to bat with jeers and shouts of “parchi,” a reference to his father being among those who selected the side. But the portly batter played, a spectacular innings, hitting sixes for fun. Batting first with his captain Sarfaraz Ahmed and then with Mohammad Nawaz in two crucial partnerships, Azam’s effortless innings meant the match quickly ended as a contest. A flurry of late wickets briefly threatened some drama, but it never came to be.
For Islamabad United, this won’t be a time to panic. The team are notoriously slow starters and have often begun the PSL with weak performances. However, the team’s strength had always been their bowling yet the lack of experience in today’s lineup would be a concern. Captain Shadab Khan would be counting on veteran overseas star Dale Steyn to make his impact count when he joins the side midway through the tournament.
Ultimately though, the occasion was about far more than cricket. Over 10 years after cricket was exiled from Pakistan, Thursday marked its grandest return. Regardless of the outcome, the very holding of this tournament is a huge win for the country.