ABU DHABI: Rashid Khan scored match-winning runs for Lahore Qalandars as they beat Islamabad United by five wickets in Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 6’s 15th contest.
Qalandars were under pressure in the twilight phase of the game after losing well-set Sohail Akhtar and Mohammad Hafeez. They needed 16 off the last over and it was Rashid who came to rescue his team and struck Hussain Talat for three boundaries, a single and double to score 15 runs single-handedly.
Earlier, Faheem Ashraf rescued United to a compatible total at the end after Qalandars destroyed their top-order batting.
The left-handed batsman joined the crease when United were suffering at 80-6. He stood firm and composed till the end to add some runs to his team’s already deprived total.
But, it was the day of Qalandars’ bowlers, starting with James Faulkner picking three wickets on his PSL debut. Colin Munro, Rohail Nazir, and Shadab Khan fell prey to the Australia-hailed bowler. He finished his four overs with three wickets and 32 runs.
Later on, Haris Rauf and Ahmed Daniyal joined the party and bagged two wickets each to further dent the opponents. Another debutant Usman Khuwaja tried to read the pitch but Haris picked him up in seventh over to release a pressure created by him.
Rashid Khan and Shaheen Shah Afridi also bagged two well-set batsmen. Faheem fell to Shaheen after scoring 27 runs off 24 balls laced with two boundaries and a six.
In reply, Qalandars were off to a convincing start with Fakhar Zaman and skipper Sohail scoring quick 21 runs. Fakhar fell to Faheem after scoring nine runs but Sohail looked in different touch today.
The right-handed batsman kept on ticking the scoreboard while chasing a modest total of 144. He alongside Hafeez scored 38 runs to lay down a solid foundation for run chase.
Leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed got a breakthrough in the 13th over when Sohail misjudged his wrong’un and got LBW. Hasan Ali joined in and took Hafeez and Ben Dunk quickly to put United under pressure.
Tim David played sensibly and scored 23 runs laced with a boundary and a six. He watched Rashid finishing the game from the other end.
Hasan bagged two wickets while Faheem, Fawad, and Shadab Khan shared a wicket each.
With this win, Qalandars grabbed top position at the points table with eight points. They won four out of five matches and lost one so far.
Toss
Lahore Qalandars won the toss and decided to bowl first
SQUADS
LAHORE QALANDARS: Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Sohail Akhtar, Mohammad Faizan, Ben Dunk, Tim David, James Faulkner, Rashid Khan, Ahmed Daniyal, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf
ISLAMABAD UNITED: Colin Munro, Usman Khawaja, Shadab Khan, Hussain Talat, Iftikhar Ahmed, Asif Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Rohail Nazir, Hassan Ali, Fawad Ahmed, Mohammad Waseem Jr
