PSL 2022: Sarfaraz Ahmed, Jason Roy lift Quetta Gladiators beat Islamabad United

Set an imposing 200-run target, the Quetta Gladiators got off to a blazing start as Jason Roy and Ahsan Ali provided an 88-run start with Roy falling on the last ball of the eighth over of the chase.

Quetta Gladiators' Sarfaraz Ahmed en route to scoring a fifty against Islamabad United in their PSL 2022 match. (Source: Twitter)

Quetta Gladiators delivered a second successive 200-plus chase as they defeated Islamabad United by five wickets in a last-over thriller at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore in the 18th fixture of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2022 on Saturday (February 12) night. The Gladiators captain Sarfaraz Ahmed (player of the match) took his side home with an unbeaten 50.

Set an imposing 200-run target, the Gladiators got off to a blazing start as Jason Roy and Ahsan Ali provided an 88-run start with Roy falling on the last ball of the eighth over of the chase. Roy was dropped at 25 by Wasim Jnr, the right-hander didn’t take a backward step and continued the onslaught in his sensational 54 off 27 balls (10 fours, one six) before he was bowled by Shadab.

Ahsan followed in the next over with Dawson pinning him lbw for 30 off 23 balls (three fours, one six). James Vince (29 off 22) kept Gladiators in the hunt against the mounting required rate as Shadab, the leading wicket-taker of the ongoing season, produced another outstanding spell.

Shadab had the last laugh as he dismissed Vince in the same over (14th) after conceding a six and four. Shadab also accounted for Iftikhar Ahmed to take his season’s wicket tally to 17. Umar Akmal who made his first appearance for the season stroked a stunning 23 off eight balls (three sixes) to initiate the Gladiators comeback.

over by Wasim. #HBLPSL7 l #LevelHai l #IUvQG pic.twitter.com/KOnvgu0K6e

— PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) February 12, 2022

Umar added 52 off 20 balls with Sarfaraz for the match-winning fifth-wicket partnership. The duo turned the game on its head by taking 17 runs from the 18th over bowled by Hasan Ali when Gladiators needed 44 off the last 18 balls.

They then took 19 off the penultimate over bowled by Wasim Jnr who dismissed Umar in the same over. Sarfaraz finished the game for his side with two balls to spare as he scored back-to-back boundaries off Hasan ending with an incredible unbeaten 50 off 32 balls (three fours, two sixes).

The Gladiators have now won three out of their six matches just like United who also have six points from as many matches. United though occupies the third spot ahead of Gladiators fourth on the basis of a superior net run-rate.

Brief Scores: Islamabad United 199/8 (Alex Hales 62, Faheem Ashraf 55; Shahid Afridi 2/27) lost to Quetta Gladiators 203/5 (Jason Roy 54, Sarfaraz Ahmed 50 n.o.; Shadab Khan 3/25)

(with ANI inputs)