ISLAMABAD: Islamabad United registered another victory over the Quetta Gladiators on Sunday, beating Sarfaraz Ahmed’s squad by two wickets in another Pakistan Super League (PSL) 8 clash to qualify for the tournament’s playoffs.
Set a target of 180 runs to win after the Gladiators finished at 179-6 off their 20 overs, United were off to a poor start before Colin Munro came to their aid. Opener Alex Hales and Rahmanullah Gurbaz departed for 12 and 0 respectively.
Munro smashed 63 from 29 balls, which included four massive sixes. However, he didn’t get much support from United’s middle-order, as Shadab Khan and Mubasir Khan departed for scores of 8 and 5 respectively.
In came the in-form Azam Khan who played another crucial knock, scoring 35 off 25 balls, his innings featuring two sixes and an equal number of fours. All-rounder Faheem Ashraf, who also took two wickets, helped finish the match, scoring 39 runs from 31 balls. His innings included six boundaries.
Umaid Asif was the pick of the bowlers for the Gladiators, finishing with figures of 3/37 while Muhammad Nawaz ended up with 2/17 from his four overs. Naveen-ul-Haq, Iftikhar Ahmed and Naseem Shah each picked up a wicket.
With five victories and 10 points, United finish at second place, two points ahead of the Multan Sultans. The Gladiators remain at the bottom of the table.
