PSL 2020: Islamabad United beat Lahore Qalandars by one wicket

LAHORE: Islamabad United defeated the Lahore Qalandars by one wicket on Sunday in a thrilling match then went down to the last over as they needed 183 runs to win. 

Mohammad Musa was instrumental in the very end to deliver the finish for Islamabad United. Unexpectedly, the tailender hit a six and two much-needed fours to provide a good stand with Ahmad Safi Abdullah to ensure Islamabad went home with the victory. 

When it was time for the Islamabad United to bat, the team's openers did not fare well. Ronchi and Munro were dismissed for 1 and 2 respectively. Shaheen Afridi dismissed Ronchi while Hafeez made short work of Munro to put Islamabad on the back foot.

However, Shadab Khan performed with the bat to lead Islamabad's revival. He made 54 runs from 29 balls before Haris Rauf dismissed him. The United skipper had some support from Malan who scored a run-a-ball 22 runs before Wiese dismissed him.

Colin Ingram provided much-needed support to Shadab by contributing with an impressive 30 runs from 14 balls, hitting three sixes. Shaheen Afridi bowled exceptionally well by getting rid of Hussain Talat and Amad Butt for 5 and 8 respectively to ensure Lahore Qalandars were back in the game. 

Afridi was the pick of the Qalandars' bowlers as he picked up four very important wickets and gave away only 18 runs from his four overs. Haris Rauf pitched in with two wickets as well but went for an expensive 41 runs. 

The day belonged to Mohammad Hafeez who smashed an unbeaten 98 from 57 balls. His blistering knock included seven 4s and an equal number of sixes. 

Fakhar Zaman provided some support to the Lahore Qalandars by scoring 33 runs from 26 balls, hitting four boundaries from his innings. United's Faheem Ashraf dismissed Wiese and Patel for 19 and 10 respectively to ensure none would build a solid partnership with Hafeez. 

Shadab Khan wins Man of the Match award

Islamabad United skipper Shadab was awarded the Man of the Match award. He said that it was a combined decision of the team and his to play at number four. 

"You can't become a good batsman only by talking, you have to prove it," he said. 

Shadab said that the turning point of the game was his partnerships with Malan and Ingram. He also praised Musa for batting well in the end to make sure Islamabad won the match. The spinner said that self-belief was crucial to achieve results. 

Hosts Lahore Qalandars were playing their second match in the fifth edition of the tournament after they lost their first encounter to Multan Sultans by five wickets on Friday.

On the other hand, Islamabad United have played three matches – losing the first by three wickets to Quetta Gladiators on the opening day at Karachi and winning the second by a big margin of eight wickets against Multan Sultans at Lahore on Saturday. The third match was against Lahore Qalandars today.