United vs Qalandars Game 4

The match was set. Islamabad United vs Lahore Qalandars was bound to be a cracking competition. With the winning team securing a prime position to go through to the playoffs, both teams were expected to give it their all.

Taking place in Sharjah for the first time, the pitch report indicated a very high scoring game and the fans did not go home disappointed. Islamabad United won the toss and elected to field. The Lahore Qalanadar’s batting lineup proved to quite a handful as they got off to a flying start. The Qalandar Captain, Azhar Ali, sought to take advantage of the hard pitch by taking the game to the Islamabad United bowlers. A score of 180 was on the cards. However, a brilliant bowl by Mohammad Sami, just short of the length and dipping into the left-hander, dismissed inform Qalanadar batsman Cameron Delport. The United bowlers kept the pressure on by precise line and length bowling that was restricting the score. Umar Akmal, who scored a brilliant 94 for the Lahore Qalanadars in the last game, was looking to take the game back to the ISLU bowlers. The inspiration came in the form of Imran Khalid who bowled a peach of a delivery to Umar Akmal catching him lbw, the ball going on to hit middle and leg-stump. Despite this, the Lahore Qalandars ended up with 166 runs in the allotted 20 overs, primarily due to a 50 by Mohammad Rizwan.

It was now up to the Islamabad United batsmen to come to the party and they came in with a bang. Sharjeel Khan and Shane Watson came to the pitch like men on a mission to decimate the Lahore Qalandar’s batting lineup. The ISLU openers started off like express trains, and nuclear powered ones at that. The fans got to witness a world-class batting performance as both the openers reached their half centuries in under 40 balls. The ruthless attack continued as the batsmen scored a 150-run partnership. In the end, Islamabad United easily managed to reach the allotted target of 166 runs with 4.1 overs to spare.