ISLAMABAD: Quetta Gladiators were at their best on Saturday as they defeated Islamabad United by 5 wickets after conceding 199 runs in the first 20 overs of a nail-biting HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) Twenty20 match at Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium.
Islamabad was put to bat by the rival team, though they lost some important wickets due to poor running between the wickets.
Alex Hales (62 off 38 deliveries) showed an impressive performance but was sent back in the 10th over while United had already lost two wickets for 102 runs.
Skipper Shadab Khan could only score 12 before he was caught by Ahsan Ali in Shahid Afridi's over.
The rest of the batters largely struggled against Gladiators, though Faheem Ashraf contributed 55 runs at a strike rate of 196.43 before losing his wicket to James Faulkner on 187 runs in the 19th over.
Despite the inconsistent performance by their players, Islamabad set an impressive target for the opposing side by the end of their innings as they scored 199 at the loss of 8 wickets.
Quetta were brilliant with the bat from the outset. They lost their first wicket of Jason Roy (54 off 27 balls) in the 7th over on 88 runs.
Ahsan Ali (30), the other Gladiator opener, was sent back in the very next over, though James Vince (29) and Sarfaraz Ahmed (50 off 32) continued with the spirited run chase.
Umar Akmal (23) was another batter who impressed spectators with a magnificent strike rate of 287.50, making a solid contribution to his team's victory.
Skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed led from the front and hit the winning shot for his team. He was also declared player of the match for his brilliant knock that helped him score another half century.
Tomorrow, two more matches are scheduled in Lahore. The first will be played between Peshawar Zalmi and Karachi Kings at 2:30pm while the second will feature Lahore Qalandars and Quetta Gladiators at 7:30pm.