Match 8, Lahore, February 22, 2024, 07:30 PM
Islamabad United
138/9(20.0ov)
Quetta Gladiators
139/7(18.2ov)
Quetta Gladiators beat Islamabad United by 3 wickets
Right then, that is it from this game and we still have a couple of unbeaten sides in PSL 2024 as Quetta Gladiators join Multan Sultan with three wins out of three. Speaking of Multan, the next game of the competition is between Multan Sultan and Peshawar Zalmi in Multan and will be played on Friday, 23 February. That game will begin at 7.30 pm IST (2 pm GMT) but you can join us a lot sooner for the build-up. Till then, take care and goodbye!
Quetta Gladiators skipper, Rilee Rossouw is the Player of the Match for his anchoring knock and he also took a couple of catches. He says they got the 'W' which is the most important thing. Adds that they thought it was going to be a high-scoring game but summed up the conditions well with the ball and knew it wouldn't be easy to bat. States that he is enjoying leading the side and it is bringing out the best of him too. Concludes that they spoke about the wicket mid-innings and mentioned that they would need to build a strong partnership to win the game and did so.
The Presentation ceremony...
Shadab Khan, the captain of Islamabad United says that there was a lapse in the technology as they were shown a different ball and that LBW decision could have been a pivotal moment. Reckons that they were 10-15 runs short with the bat and adds that it didn't turn much and they need to take more responsibility with the bat. On the three Shah brothers, he says that he hasn't seen this much talent in one household and commends Hunain Shah for the way he bowled. Ends by saying that they need to stay positive and make sure small mistakes don't happen.
Jason Roy joins in for a quick chat. He says they bowled exceptionally well to restrict them to below par total but the loss of a few wickets made it a bit tricky and Rilee did well to take them home. Further adds that he looks to score bigger and finish games for the side and is happy to have three wins on a trot. Mentions that the ball was coming nice initially but was dying down later as it got old. Concludes that they are keeping it nice and simple and the atmosphere in the camp is nice with Shane Watson around.
Earlier in the game, Quetta Gladiators won the toss and Rilee Rossouw put the opposition into bat first it backfired as Islamabad United were able to get quick runs and were flying at 60/1 at the end of the Powerplay. However, once the top three batters fell, the innings crumbled and it required a couple of decent knocks from Jordan Cox and Faheem Ashraf toward the end to take them close to the 140-run mark. With the ball, Quetta Gladiators were brilliant as the spin duo of Akeal Hosein and Abrar Ahmed picked up 5 wickets in between them and Mohammad Wasim bowled a superb spell as well, picking up 3 wickets. Quetta Gladiators need a couple of decent knocks and they got just that as the skipper Rilee Rossouw took them to a third consecutive win.
Islamabad United did the best they could with the ball in hand but towards the end, they would have felt like they could have even snatched the game away from the opposition. Naseem Shah got his side an early breakthrough but they couldn't capitalize on it and then the likes of Hunain Shah and Rumman Raees pulled things back a bit. They did get wickets but one good stand between Sherfane Rutherford and Rilee Rossouw broke the back of the chase and even after picking up a plethora of wickets toward the end, Islamabad United just didn't have enough runs to play with.
A low-scoring thriller in Lahore but in the end, it is Quetta Gladiators who have made it three wins out of three to start off their PSL 2024 campaign. Both teams almost threw it away with the bat, well Islamabad United certainly did and Quetta Gladiators eventually managed to get the win thanks to a superb captain's knock by Rilee Rossouw and that cameo right at the end by Mohammad Amir. The target was not a big one at all for Quetta to chase down and after an early loss of wicket, Jason Roy started to fire but they lost a couple of more wickets in quick succession. It was then a steady stand between the skipper and Sherfane Rutherford that got Quetta back on track but with not many runs needed, wickets started to fall and Rilee Rossouw was left stranded at one end. Mohammad Amir though came out in the 18th over and put away a couple of boundaries to seal the win in style.
In over# 19
1
4
Rumman Raees 14/1(2.2)
18.2
1
That's it, Mohammad Amir hits the winning runs and Quetta Gladiators win their third game in a row and do it with 3 wickets in hand and 10 balls to spare. Rumman Raees drops the length a bit short and wider of off, Mohammad Amir drives it through covers for a single to finish things off.
18.1
4
FOUR! Mohammad Amir is pumped and why shouldn't he be? Drops the length outside off, Mohammad Amir cuts it up and over backward point for a boundary. Scores level.
In over# 18
1
4
0
1
1
0W
Shadab Khan 24/2(4)
17.6
1
Shorter and on middle, Mohammad Amir punches it to mid on for a single to end the over. Quetta Gladiators just need 5 more runs to win.
17.5
4
FOUR! That will help. Khan drops the length a bit over middle and off, Mohammad Amir makes room and cuts it through covers for a boundary to ease some pressure off.
17.4
.
Beauty! Bowls it nice and full around off with some grip and turn, Mohammad Amir tries to poke at it but gets beaten.
17.3
1
Fuller and on off, Rilee Rossouw pushes it to mid off for a single.
17.2
1
Tossed up on off, Mohammad Amir pushes it to point and gets off the mark with a single.
Mohammad Amir is in at number 9.
17.1
W
OUT! TIMBER! It's ging down to the wire. Shadab Khan bowls a straight bowl on a fuller length on middle, Mohammad Wasim gets across the line and looks to slog but plays all around it. The ball zips though the legs and rattles the stumps.
In over# 17
1
1
0
2W
6
1
Agha Salman 28/0(4)