United Thrash Quetta to Progress into Eliminator 2

Muhammad Waqas

Islamabad United: 174/9 (20) | Guptill 56(47), Agha 31(21) | Amir 2/20, Akeal 2/34   

Quetta Gladiators: 135 (18.4) | Omair 50(37), Akeal 31(18) | Imad 3/12, Naseem 2/33

Islamabad United booked their spot in the second eliminator after a convincing 39-run victory against Quetta Gladiators.

Gladiators’ pursuit of 175 runs got off to a disastrous start. Imad Wasim wreaked havoc, dismissing Saud Shakeel, Rilee Rossouw and Khawaja Nafay within the powerplay. Naseem Shah struck on his first ball to remove Jason Roy. The run out of Laurie Evans added to the Quetta’s woes, leaving them reeling at 16/5.  

The only resistance came from a fighting fifty by Omair Bin Yousaf (50 off 37 balls) and a late cameo from Mohammad Amir (23 off 14 balls). However, the rest of the batting lineup faltered, leaving Quetta bowled out for 135.

Imad Wasim led the charge from Islamabad United with three wickets for just 12 runs. Naseem Shah took two while Faheem Ashraf, Hunain Shah, and Obed McCoy chipped in with a wicket apiece.

Earlier, opting to bat first after winning the toss, Martin Guptill and Alex Hales provided a 51-run opening stand. Guptill anchored the innings with a composed 56 off 47 balls, while Hales scored 23 including two sixes and a boundary. After Hales’ dismissal, Agha Salman added 31 runs off 21 balls, keeping the scoreboard ticking. Contributions from Shadab Khan (23 off 13) and Azam Khan (18 off 6) kept the momentum going.

Despite losing wickets in clusters towards the end, Islamabad managed to post a competitive total of 174/9 thanks to Naseem Shah’s last-ball six.

Mohammad Amir and Akeal Hosein picked up two wickets each.

Player of the match: Imad Wasim

Islamabad United will fight for the Final spot against Peshawar Zalmi in the second eliminator on 16^th March.