RAWALPINDI: Islamabad United (IU) earned a remarkable 8-wicket victory in the inaugural match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL X) against Lahore Qalandars (LQ) at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Friday.
Batting first, Lahore Qalandars scored 139, which the hosts chased with eight wickets in hand and 14 balls to spare, positively starting the campaign.
However, the home team’s run chase got off to a different start when their opener, Andries Gous, was dismissed in the second over with just eight runs scored.
Munro joined Sahibzada Farhan in the middle following the early hiccup, and the two of them started a recovery by adding 55 runs for the second before the opener, who had scored 25 off 24 deliveries, was bowled out by Haris Rauf in the ninth over.
Then, to help Islamabad United win the game, Munro teamed up with Salman Ali Agha for an 80-run partnership.
Agha made 41 not out from 34 deliveries with three fours and a six, while the top-order batsman top-scored with an undefeated 59 off 42 deliveries, laced with seven fours and a six.
Rauf and Abbas Afridi might both take a wicket for the Qalandars.
The reigning champions benefited from Islamabad United skipper Shadab Khan’s choice to bowl first as their Holder-led bowling unit destroyed the Qalandars’ batting team, which could only muster a pitiful 139 before being bowled out in 19.2 overs.
With only four runs scored in the second over, the Qalandars lost their leading batsman, Fakhar Zaman, for one, giving them a terrible start to their innings.
Shafique stayed at the crease until the second–last over and headed back to the pavilion for Qalandars‘ highest score of the match with 66 runs from 38 balls, which included six boundaries and three maximums.
Shafique also would form some key partnerships with Daryl Mitchell and Sikandar Raza, the only other Qalandars batters to reach any score of substance (13 and 23 runs respectively).
The balance of the Qalandars’ batting order just could not manage anything against a disciplined Islamabad United bowling attack, with none of the batters making it to double figures.
Jason Holder was the spearhead bowler for United, with staggering figures of 4/26 in his four overs, while captain Shadab picked up three wickets.
Imad Wasim, Naseem Shah, and overseas pacer Riley Meredith each picked up one wicket. The victory by eight wickets meant Islamabad United sat on top of the PSL 10 standings with two points after one match, while Lahore Qalandars sat at the bottom of the table.
