LAHORE: The home side Lahore Qalandars have sealed a thrilling victory by six runs against Islamabad United in the second eliminator of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 7, here at Gaddafi Stadium.
The Qalandars’ all-rounder David Wiese bowled a magnificent last over; defending a mere eight runs to drive his side to the PSL 7 final. The Qalandars will now face the defending champions Multan Sultans on February 27.
Set to chase 169, the United remained six runs short despite the brilliant knocks of Azam Khan and Alex Hales. The two-time PSL champions were steering comfortably in the run chase till the 14th over as the side was 125-4 before Azam got run out.
Following Azam’s dismissal, Hales also made his way back to the pavilion after scoring 38. Azam, however, top-scored with his 40 off 28 balls with the help of three boundaries and two sixes.
Hales’ dismissal then, initiated a match-defining collapse as the United were bundled out for 162 in the run chase; handing a thrilling six runs victory to the Qalandars.
For the Qalandars, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Zaman Khan, and Haris Rauf bagged two wickets each. The hero of the Qalandars Wiese, on the other hand, claimed one wicket.
Despite an unwanted start, the Qalandars finished at a commendable 168-7 in the allotted 20 overs, thanks to the Wiese’s late power hitting at the death. His cameo of 28 runs came for just eight deliveries with the help of a boundary and three sixes.
Came out to bat, the Qalandars were halted by a poor start; losing two wickets for a mere seven runs as the in-form batter Fakhar Zaman and Phil Salt perished after scoring cheaply.
Abdullah Shafique and Kamran Ghulam then anchored the innings with a brilliant 73-runs partnership for the third wicket. Kamran departed earlier after scoring 30, while Shafique went on to smash a magnificent half-century.
The right-handed batter scored 52 runs off just 28 balls; smashing four boundaries and three sixes. Later, Samit Patel also played a crucial knock of 21 to provide a helping hand to Wiese. He scored 21 off 18 balls; including one boundary and a six.
For the United, Liam Dawson and Mohammad Wasim bagged two wickets each, while Shadab Khan and Waqas Maqsood struck out a batter apiece.
