Ahmed Shehzad hit his second successive fifty as Quetta Gladiators ended the UAE leg of PSL 2019 with a big 43-run win over defending champions Islamabad United in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
Quetta have already qualified for the playoffs and were playing without any pressure. And it showed as Shehzad blazed away to 73 from 46 balls with the help of nine fours and one maximum.
Shehzad and Umar Akmal (27) took the score from 108 to 152 before both were removed by Amad Butt. Islamabad all-rounder Faheem Ashraf cleaned up the lower order to finish with fantastic figures of 4-18 from his three overs.
A a total of 180-9 seemed way more than necessary on a day where 125 had seemed too daunting during the match between Peshawar Zalmi and Lahore Qalandars in the UAE capital.
OUT! Huge wicket for Quetta Gladiators as @ronchi04 (64) top edges one towards @ShaneRWatson33 off @bachaji23. Islamabad United are 109/4 in the 15th over now
— Cricingif (@_cricingif) March 5, 2019
Ball-by-ball highlights https://t.co/XpL8CsATZj #QGvIU #PSL2019 #KhelDeewanoKa #CricketForAll pic.twitter.com/uD3FQsgDO0
Even though Islamabad got a good start with Cameron Delport and Luke Ronchi adding 62, they did so at barely seven an over. Once leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed got into the his stride, the wheels started to fall off for Islamabad.
Fawad first had Delport stumped before bowling Phil Salt with a quicker one.
The asking rate kept climbing thereafter and Quetta bowlers only had to land the ball on the right area as the pitch offered ample grip. Fast bowler Mohammad Hasnain effectively ended the contest by removing Samit Patel and Ashraf in the 16th over. Islamabad eventually managed 137-9.
It was the final contest of PSL 2019 in the UAE with the tournament now moving on to Karachi where the next match will be played on Saturday.
