KARACHI: All-rounder Faheem Ashraf and Paul Stirling starred in Islamabad United’s emphatic six-wicket victory over winless Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League on Tuesday.
Fast bowler Ashraf’s 3-11 limited Quetta to 156-7 and then Stirling smashed 56 off 33 balls as Islamabad eased to 157-4 with three balls to spare.
The match was rescheduled for Tuesday after Islamabad’s leg spinner Fawad Ahmed tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday. Two more foreign cricketers, including one unidentified Islamabad player, tested positive Tuesday before the Pakistan Cricket Board decided to go ahead with country’s premier Twenty20 tournament.
Quetta’s fourth successive loss at the toss continued a trend, as all 12 preliminary round matches have been won by teams chasing with all six captains opting to field first after winning the toss.
Peshawar Zalmi, Islamabad and Lahore Qalandars share a three-way tie atop the leaderboard after the conclusion of fourth round matches, with each having won three of their four games.
Quetta skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed (54) hit his second successive half century that featured four consecutive sixes off spinner Iftikhar Ahmed.
But Islamabad always looked ahead after fast bowlers Hasan Ali (2-23) and Ashraf picked up four wickets inside the first six overs of Quetta’s batting powerplay.
Ashraf sent Cameron Delport’s offstump cartwheeling off his first delivery before trapping Sarfaraz leg before wicket in his return spell as Quetta could score only one six and a four in their last seven overs.
Stirling took the game away from Quetta within the first three overs by propelling the total to 44-0. The prolific Irish batsman hammered South Africa’s Dale Steyn for four boundaries in one over after smashing leftarm spinner Mohammad Nawaz for two boundaries and a six in the first over.
Legspinner Zahid Mahmood (2-29) clean bowled Stirling in the 10th over off a sharp googly, but Rohail Nazir (34), playing his first PSL game this season, and captain Shadab Khan (21) made useful contributions to take the two-time champion home.
Islamabad beats winless Quetta by 6 wickets in PSL
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Islamabad beats winless Quetta by 6 wickets in PSL
- Paul Stirling smashed 56 off 33 balls as Islamabad eased to 157-4 with three balls to spare
- Peshawar Zalmi, Islamabad and Lahore Qalandars share a three-way tie atop the leaderboard
Alcaraz defeats Rublev to reach Qatar Open final against Fils
- The Spaniard will face France’s Arthur Fils in Saturday’s final
- Russian Rublev fought back from 3-0 down to level the second set and then saved five match points
DOHA: World number one Carlos Alcaraz continued his unbeaten run in 2026 as he beat defending champion Andrey Rublev 7-6(3) 6-4 on Friday to reach the Qatar Open final, reaching the 12th summit clash in his last 13 tournaments.
The Spaniard will face France’s Arthur Fils in Saturday’s final after the 21-year-old beat Czech Jakub Mensik 6-4 7-6(4) in the second semifinal.
Russian Rublev fought back from 3-0 down to level the second set and then saved five match points, but Alcaraz ultimately prevailed to win his 11th straight match of the season.
“I know what I’m able to do every time that I step on court. For me it’s great. Obviously, the way I’m approaching every match, I’m just really proud about it,” said 22-year-old Alcaraz, who has been a finalist at the last four Grand Slams, winning three of them.
“It’s paying off, all the focus and attention. I’m just happy and proud about myself with how I’m getting better and getting mature I guess.”
Rublev made 14 unforced backhand errors in the first set, but outwitted Alcaraz with precise forehands that nicked the baseline as both players broke the other twice each to go into a tiebreak.
Alcaraz held his nerve to go 6-3 up in the tiebreak as a frustrated Rublev repeatedly smashed the racket on his left knee, breaking a string. Seven-time Grand Slam winner Alcaraz then pretended to slice but landed a forehand down the sideline to win the first set.
Alcaraz broke Rublev twice to go 5-3 up in the second set and was serving for the match when the world number 14 saved three match points to break back.
But Alcaraz pushed to break again for victory in the next game, and finally converted his sixth match point when Rublev’s backhand landed wide.
Fils reached his fifth career final with a commanding victory over world number 16 Mensik in just over 90 minutes. The Frenchman — who suffered a lower back stress fracture during the 2025 French Open that led to eight months out of the game — committed fewer unforced errors in an otherwise even match, while saving seven of eight break points and converting two of five.
“Eight months without playing, watching others and staying in bed. It was a long and difficult ordeal. But today, the comeback is all the more sweet. It means a lot to me to be in the final,” said Fils.
