The 10th match of the PSL 2022 sees Quetta Gladiators take on Islamabad United on Thursday at National Stadium in Karachi.
Quetta Gladiators vs Islamabad United
Quetta Gladiators currently find themselves sitting at number three position with one win in 3 matches. They are coming into this game on the back of a 6-run defeat at the hands of Multan Sultans. Riding on Stellar knocks from Tim David and Rilee Rossouw, Multan Sultans managed to notch a 174-run total in the first innings in that encounter.
Quetta Gladiators couldn’t pick wickets in a cluster and thereby allowed Multan to stitch big partnerships. M Hasnain was the pick of the bowlers as he gave away 27 runs in 4 overs while picking two wickets. James Faulkner picked 1 for 22 in his 4-over spell. However, all the other bowlers were guilty of giving too many runs.
In reply, Quetta Gladiators lost both the openers early inside the first five overs. Ben Duckett then played a beautiful 47-run knock off 32 balls to lead some recovery. However, all the other batsmen in the top five made minor contributions. Iftikhar Ahmed reignited some hope with his brutal 13-ball 30-run cameo. James Faulkner (18 off 12) and Sohail Tanvir (13 off 8) also made valuable contributions in the final few overs, but the Gladiators, sadly, fell six runs short of the target in the end.
Quetta Gladiators will be playing their fourth match on Thursday and would be desperate for a win. Their platinum picks, James Vince and Jason Roy, arrived in Pakistan today but are unlikely to play the match against Islamabad United due to quarantine rules.
Facing them are Islamabad United, who have managed to win and lose one game each in the tournament thus far. They put in a dominant performance in the first game but lost the match against Multan Sultans by 20 runs.
Islamabad United conceded only 78 runs in the first ten overs and also picked three wickets against Multan Sultans. However, the likes of Tim David and Rilee Rossouw wreaked havoc in the second half of the innings and took the team to a 217-run total at the end of the first innings. Barring Shadab Khan, all the other bowlers gave away more than nine runs an over.
The intent was there to be seen from the Islamabad batsmen right from the start of the second innings. Both Paul Sterling and Alex Hales started aggressively but couldn’t convert that start into a big score. Sterling made 19 off ten balls, while Hales got out after scoring 23 off 14 balls. Gurbaz’s wicket in the eight oversaw the team in trouble at 81 for 3.
Skipper Shadab Khan then took it upon himself and played an outstanding knock under pressure. With the required rate of 13 runs and over, Shadab Khan looked to set to send all the balls to the boundary ropes. Much to the delight of the fans, he connected on most occasions.
Though, he found little support at the other end. Shadab Khan, unfortunately, got out in the 19th over after playing an outstanding knock of 91 runs in 42 deliveries. Islamabad United still fell 20 runs short of the target. On Thursday, ahead of their third game, they would look to get back to winning ways.