Lahore Qalandar won the toss and opted to bat. However, they started poorly and lost both openers within 3 overs.
Kamran Ghulam and Shafique built a 73 runs partnership but as soon as both got out, the team looked in trouble.
Thanks to the heroic effort of David Wiese, he scored 28 off 8 balls and helped Qalandars to reach a total of 168 runs.
Islamabad United, too, had worse starts and struggled to find momentum. Within 6 overs, the order was sent back to the pavilion.
They lost wickets at an early score of 46 runs. Then came Azam Khan and Asif Ali as saviours and the match looked in their pocket.
Islamabad was able to battle back once again, with Azam Khan’s 28-ball 40. His run out, though, flipped the tide significantly back in the Qalandars’ favour.
Islamabad United required 22 runs in the last 3 overs which looked reasonable but 3 wickets in the course of 6 balls changed the whole scenario of the game. At 18.6 over, the hard hitter Asif Ali lost his wicket and IU looked hanged in between a troublesome last over.
161/8 was the score at the end of the 19th over. The last over was in the hands of David Wiese who was expected to deliver something similar he did while batting.
8 off 6 balls always looks achievable. However, ball 1 and 2 were both dot balls because Mohammad Wasim refused to take singles at the striker’s end. On both following balls, Islamabad United lost a wicket in succession and consequently lost the match.
In the game’s crucial stages, David Wiese performed admirably with both bat and ball. With the ball, he successfully defended 8 off the last over, taking up the last wicket even as the rain began to fall.
The match has received reactions from a number of cricketers. When a thrilling match like this takes place at a crucial stages such as eliminator then it’s always a great joy for fans.