20 runs needed in 17 balls. In walks Musa Khan. 16 balls later, Islamabad United walk off the field as winners by 1 wicket.
Shadab Khan’s genius with the ball
Prior to this game, Shadab Khan has bowled 6.3 overs in the PSL which had seen him go for 75 runs. For the captain and the side’s lead spinner, these are unflattering numbers. Shadab entered this game today to arrest the slide in his form and put in a performance with the ball. Doing exactly that. 4 overs for 14 runs with 2 wickets were Shadab’s figures for the night.
Shadab did everything right today, pitching the ball a lot more fuller and getting it to grip and turn to make it hard for the batsmen to commit to any shot. He rarely erred on the length and line of attack always bowling full and wide enough to get batsmen playing a shot but always being beaten by the turn.
On a day when Musa went for runs, Islamabad could ill afford another of their main bowlers having an off day and Shadab did find the right time to stand up for his side and lead from the front.
Chanda Hafeez Special
Hafeez when on song is one of the sweetest timers of the cricket ball (see: innings in CT17 final), today when he walked out to bat he did not put a foot wrong. Timing the ball to perfection, playing some ridiculous shots on the way.
While the other LQ batsmen scored 77 runs in 63 balls at 7.32 runs per over, Hafeez scored 98 (the highest score by a Lahore Qalandars player) in 57 balls at 10.31 runs per over.
Shadab Khan’s genius with the bat
Walking in 12 balls into the chase, Islamabad was 2 down with just 5 runs on the board with Hafeez being a tricky customer against the left-handers. Shadab’s entry ensured another left-hander in Colin Ingram wasn’t facing Hafeez and with him at the crease he could play his shots knowing that there are batsmen back in the pavilion who could force the game on.
Shadab responded with 24 runs in 14 balls of the powerplay overs, the confidence gained from his bowling and his quick start saw him continue to score his first PSL half-century, he eventually ended with scoring 50 runs in 29 balls in a fine inning which saw the ill effects of the poor start disappear.
Colin Ingram’s takedown
91 runs were needed in 54 balls when Samit Patel walked into bowl, 6 balls later Islamabad United need 69 runs in 48 balls. Ingram took down Samit Patel for 22 runs in that over to reduce the required run rate from 10.11 runs per over to 8.62, Ingram’s persistent attacking in that over was a show in confidence of Islamabad United’s deep batting line up. He went for his chances and if they came off which they did in 4 of the 6 balls he faced, it would help reduce the RRR further and if it didn’t then United’s deep batting is still good enough to chase this total down.
Shaheen Shah Afridi’s spell
Cometh the hour, cometh the man. With Islamabad United running away with the game, Sohail Akthar had no other choice but to go up to his strike bowler and ask him to get them back in the game. AND BOY DID HE DELIVER.
Shaheen in his first over got rid of the dangerous Ronchi, in his 3rd over he got rid of Asif Ali (18 runs of 11 balls) and Hussain Talat (5 runs of 7 balls) leaving United to chase down 45 runs in 5 overs. In his final over, he got rid of Amad Butt who was Islamabad United’s last recognised batsman. His impact on the game was immeasurable and he was the only reason why Qalandars were in the game as long as they were after the Ingram onslaught.
Ending with figures for 4/18 in 4 overs when the scoring rate in the match is close to 9 runs an over is an incredible bowling performance.
That last wicket partnership
Yes, let’s talk about that last wicket partnership. 20 runs were needed in 17 balls. How much faith do you have in Musa’s batting ability? Cause well he has a lot of faith in it. Enough that he believed all United needed to do was see off Shaheen’s over and they could win this game.
This final wicket partnership will be etched in the memories of many, every one of you will know where you were, what you were feeling, how much you cheered with every run scored. Last wicket partnerships in a chase are do or die, every ball could be the final ball of the match.
Luckily for Islamabad United, the final ball of this partnership ended with them scoring the winning runs and going top of the table.
Next up for Islamabad United is Quetta Gladiators at their home ground of Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.