Qalandars Collapse as Islamabad United Seal One-Sided Win
KARACHI: Islamabad United produced a commanding all-round performance to outclass Lahore Qalandars by nine wickets in a one-sided Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 encounter at the National Bank Stadium on Thursday, registering their third victory of the campaign.
Set a small target of 101, United made light work of the chase, reaching the total comfortably in the 11th over with only one wicket down. Devon Conway led the charge with a superb knock, anchoring the innings with authority.
The chase began with an early hiccup when Sameer Minhas was removed for five by Shaheen Afridi in the third over. However, Conway and Mohammad Faiq quickly took control, stitching together a fluent partnership that took the game away from Lahore.
The duo brought up their 50-run stand in quick time, rotating strike smartly while punishing loose deliveries. Conway looked in complete command, timing the ball beautifully and finding the boundary at regular intervals on his way to his maiden PSL half-century.
He remained unbeaten on 59 off 35 balls, smashing seven fours and three sixes, while Faiq played an equally impactful hand with 34 off just 19 deliveries, including six boundaries, as Islamabad sealed a convincing win.
Earlier, Lahore Qalandars endured a batting collapse and were restricted to just 100 in 18.3 overs, undone largely by Islamabad’s spin dominance.
The innings got off to the worst possible start when Imad Wasim struck in the opening over to dismiss Mohammad Naeem for a golden duck. A brief recovery came through a small stand between Haseebullah Khan and Abdullah Shafique, but it didn’t last long as Imad removed Shafique, leaving Lahore in early trouble.
Haseebullah showed some resistance but was eventually cleaned up by Chris Green after scoring 19. Shadab Khan then tightened the screws further by dismissing Rubin Hermann, reducing Qalandars to 41-4.
A short rebuild followed through Asif Ali and Sikandar Raza, who added 31 runs, but Shadab broke the stand by removing Asif. Lahore’s problems deepened as wickets continued to fall at regular intervals.
Debutant Ryan Burl failed to make an impression, falling cheaply to Green, while Raza fought a lone battle before being dismissed for 25, becoming Green’s third victim of the night.
Richard Gleeson added to Lahore’s misery with a couple of quick wickets, including Haris Rauf and Ubaid Shah, while Faheem Ashraf wrapped up the innings by removing Shaheen Afridi.
Chris Green was the standout performer with the ball, finishing with impressive figures of 3 for 19. Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan and Gleeson chipped in with two wickets each, while Faheem Ashraf picked up one to complete a dominant bowling display.
