RAWALPINDI: Islamabad United felt totally at home in the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) opener here at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Friday, making a flying start to their title defence with an eight-wicket victory over Lahore Qalandars.
After pacer Jason Holder and United captain Shadab Khan restricted Qalandars to a meagre 139, opener Colin Munro helped the hosts cruise to it with 14 balls to spare, thanks to New Zealander’s half-century.
Munro smashed an unbeaten 59 off 42, and received able support from Pakistan Twenty20 International captain Salman Ali Agha, who also stayed not out for his (41 off 34) as the pair put up 91 for the third wicket.
Lahore bowlers, led by skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi and fellow pacer Haris Rauf, showed flashes of brilliance but lacked consistency to defend the low total.
United’s chase began cautiously against Shaheen’s fiery opening spell, with openers Andries Gous and Sahibzada Farhan managing just 8-1 in the first two overs. Gous fell for four, bowled by spinner Asif Afridi’s arm ball, but Farhan and Munro steadied the innings.
Farhan, struggling for fluency, hit three sixes in his 25 off 24 before Haris’ 145.2kph thunderbolt led to his dismissal, caught by a diving Sikandar Raza at mid-wicket in the eighth over.
At 65-2 after nine overs, Munro took charge, punishing loose deliveries with crisp cover drives and a flat six off Shaheen.
His fifty, reached off 35 balls, showcased his T20 pedigree, while Salman complemented him with calculated aggression. His six off David Wiese and elegant boundaries off Shaheen and Haris kept United ahead of the asking rate.
Despite Haris’ solitary wicket and Asif’s economical 1-15, Qalandars’ attack faltered, with wides and misfields adding to their woes.
With 16 needed off the last four overs, Munro and Salman accelerated, picking off singles and smashing boundaries with ease. Salman sealed the win in style, lofting Jahandad Khan over extra cover for four in the 18th over, sparking celebrations in the United dugout.
Munro’s unbeaten knock earned him the player-of-the-match honours, underlining his importance to United’s title aspirations.
Earlier, Qalandars struggled to 139 not out in 19.3 overs against a disciplined United attack. Despite a valiant 66 from Abdullah Shafique, Qalandars’ batting crumbled under pressure from United’s varied bowling, led by West Indies’ Holder’s 4-26 and Shadab’s 3-24, setting the defending champions a modest target.
Electing to bowl after winning the toss, United struck early through Australian pacer Riley Meredith, who dismissed opener Fakhar Zaman for one in the second over, caught by Azam Khan off a top-edged pull.
Qalandars’ latest find from their player development program and Fakhar’s opening partner Mohammad Naeem, showed brief promise with a six but fell for eight to Holder, nicking a wide delivery to the keeper.
At 32-2 after the powerplay, Qalandars relied on Abdullah, who anchored the innings with flair. His elegant cover drives and a lofted six off Shadab kept the scoreboard ticking, but wickets fell around him.
Daryl Mitchell’s brief 13 ended when he skied Imad Wasim to Shadab, and Sam Billings’ three-ball duck, caught off a Shadab googly, left Qalandars reeling at 58-4 after nine overs.
Raza injected momentum with a brisk 23, including a six and two fours off Shadab, but his mistimed slog-sweep handed United another breakthrough.
Abdullah reached a 33-ball fifty with back-to-back boundaries off pacer Naseem Shah, but Qalandars’ lower-order collapsed spectacularly.
Holder’s double strike in the 15th over removed Jahandad and Wiese in successive balls, the latter bowled by a searing yorker, reducing Qalandars to 95-7.
Shaheen was undone by Holder’s slower ball, and despite Haris’ late 10, including two fours, Qalandars’ tail couldn’t wag.
Abdullah’s 66, laced with six fours and three sixes, ended with a slower-ball trap from Naseem, and Shadab sealed the innings by getting Haris stumped off a wide googly.
United’s bowlers, blending pace variations and spin, exposed Qalandars’ fragility. Holder’s four-wicket haul and Shadab’s crafty leg-spin ensured Lahore never found rhythm, leaving United a chaseable 140 to start their title defense on a strong note.
Scoreboard
LAHORE QALANDARS:
Fakhar Zaman c Azam b Meredith 1
Muhammad Naeem c Azam b Holder 8
Abdullah Shafique c Munro b Naseem 66
Daryl Mitchell c Shadab b Imad 13
Sam Billings c Salman b Shadab 0
Sikandar Raza c Shahzad b Shadab 23
Jahandad Khan c Meredith b Holder 0
David Wiese b Holder 0
Shaheen Shah Afridi b Holder 2
Haris Rauf st Azam b Shadab 10
Asif Afridi not out 2
EXTRAS: (B-1, LB-2, NB-1, W-10) 14
TOTAL (all out, 19.2 overs) 139
FALL OF WICKETS:1-4 (Fakhar), 2-30 (Naeem), 3-51 (Mitchell), 4-58 (Billings), 5-93 (Raza), 6-95 (Jahandad), 7-95 (Wiese), 8-120 (Shaheen), 9-133 (Abdullah)
BOWLING: Naseem 4-0-38-1 (1w), Meredith 4-0-26-1 (1w), Holder 4-0-26-4 (1w, 1nb), Imad 4-0-21-1, Shadab 3.2-0-25-3 (3w)
ISLAMABAD UNITED:
Sahibzada Farhan c Raza b Haris 25
Andries Gous b Asif 4
Colin Munro not out 59
Salman Ali Agha not out 41
EXTRAS (LB-2, W-12) 14
TOTAL: (for two wickets, 17.4 overs) 143
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-8 (Gous), 2-63 (Farhan)
DID NOT BAT: Azam Khan, Shadab Khan, Jason Holder, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Shahzad, Naseem Shah, Riley Meredith
BOWLING: Shaheen 4-0-38-0 (3w), Asif 4-0-15-1, Jahandad 2.4-0-22-0 (1w), Haris 4-0-34-1 (2w), Raza 2-0-15-0, Wiese 1-0-17-0 (2w)
RESULT: Islamabad United won by eight wickets.
Published in Dawn, April 12th, 2025