Daily Times

SHARJAH: Islamabad United broke Lahore Qalandars’ hearts when they edged out the struggling franchise following a Super Over in the 12th fixture of the Pakistan Super League 2018 at Sharjah Cricket Stadium here on Friday night. The Super Over was the first in the PSL’s history. Chasing 16 in the Super Over, Andre Russell smashed 10 off the last two balls off the hapless Mustafizur Rehman to seal the fate of their rivals in a cruel way. This was a match that highlighted how low Lahore’s confidence had dipped after beginning this season with three losses.

Earlier, Lahore, having won the toss and decided to field first, handed debut to Salman Irshad – a rare and exciting fast bowler out of Kashmir. The equally promising Shaheen Shah Afridi made way for him. Islamabad managed to put 121 for the loss of nine wickets in tricky batting conditions.

Surprisingly, captain Brendon McCullum decided to give the new ball to Fakhar Zaman, who is known for opening the batting rather than bowling. The gamble paid off almost instantly as Zaman bowled out Luke Ronchi on the second ball and bowled an excellent opening over – a sign that the conditions were going to favour the bowlers even more than they generally have in the PSL. That exactly turned out to be the case as by 5 overs Islamabad had just 19 runs on the board and had also lost Sahibzada Farhan as well. Debutant Irshad proved why he is rated so highly by removing Islamabad’s veteran captain Misbah ul Haq (4) with the first ball of his PSL career. All-rounder JP Duminy was the top scorer as he finished with 34 off 36 with the help of three fours and one six. Hussain Talat – batting far too low at number eight – smashed an unbeaten 33 off 21 to ensure Islamabad crossed 120. He gave Islamabad a total to defend.

For Lahore, leg-spinner Yasir Shah was the pick of  the bowlers as he claimed three wickets.

In reply, once again Lahore were on course for an easy victory. McCullum, for once, played the anchorman role and allowed Agha Salman – a Lahore born and bred – to do the hitting. The youngster played some delightful strokes in his 35-ball 48. In one particular Shadab Khan over, Salman hit back-to-back sixes. But from the moment Salman was dismissed, jitters began to sweep through Lahore. Another collapse saw the team lost last eight wickets for just 44 runs took the match into the Super Over. In the Super Over, Lahore post more than competitive total of 15 on the board. And in reply, Islamabad needed three off the final delivery. But then it was Russell’s show, as he stealth the show with a massive six to give his side second win of the tournament.

Lahore are firmly at the bottom of the pile, with no wins or points from four games. Islamabad have 4 points, joint with Peshawar and Quetta. Karachi and Multan occupy the top two slots after their game was washed out on Friday with 7 and 5 points respectively.

Brief scores: Lahore Qalandars 121 all out (Agha Salman 48, Brendon McCullum 34) tied Islamabad United 121 for 9 (JP Duminy 34, Yasir Shah 3-20). Islamabad win via Super Over

Today’s match (Sunday, March 4)

15th Match – Islamabad United v Karachi Kings at Sharjah Cricket Stadium at 09:00 PM PST

Published in Daily Times, March 4^th 2018.