Lahore Qalandars down Islamabad United to register first win in PSL 9

Lahore Qalandars beat Islamabad United by 17 runs on Wednesday in Rawalpindi to register their first win in the ninth edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL).

Chasing the target, United were dealt an early blow as Shaheen Afridi removed Alex Hales for a duck in the first over.

Zaman Khan also struck gold in his first over, dismissing an in-form Agha Salman for four runs.

The slinging pacer wasn’t done yet as Zaman returned in his second over to clean bowled Shadab Khan for five.

There was more drama waiting in the powerplay, as Munro was runout for 14 before David Wiese removed Imad Wasim for 4, leaving United reeling at 36/5 after the powerplay.

It seemed like a procession as Jordan Coz didn’t hang around for long either. He was caught and bowled for 7 by Jahandad Khan.

Azam played a brief cameo of 29 runs from 19 balls, which included three fours and two sixes. However, the hard-hitting batter was eventually dismissed in the first over of left-arm spinner Ahsan Hafeez.

Naseem Shah also demonstrated his batting skills with a quick 27-run performance, including two sixes against Shaheen, but Shaheen had the last laugh him as he clean bowled him on the third delivery following the two sixes.

Zaman Khan came back to pick his third wicket and removed Hunain Shah for 3. 

Faheem Ashraf kept fighting till the end, but was left stranded at 41* as United were bowled out for 145.

Zaman was the pick of the bowlers for Lahore with 4/37.

Earlier, Islamabad United after opting to bowl first, put in collective bowling performance which helped in restricting Lahore Qalandars to 162/7.

Qalandars faced setbacks early, losing openers Sahibzada Farhan (2) and Fakhar Zaman (10) within the powerplay.

Shai Hope's (6) dismissal further hindered them at 30/3.

Captain Shaheen Shah Afridi, batting at number five, contributed a quick 30 but fell to Shadab Khan in the 11th over.

Van der Dussen held firm, forming partnerships with Raza and Bhatti before succumbing in the 18th over after scoring 64 off 44 balls.

David Wiese played a vital role in bolstering Lahore Qalandars' total with an unbeaten 24-run cameo, featuring three boundaries in his 11-ball knock.

In the bowling department, Rumman Raees led the charge for Islamabad United with figures of 2/19. Meanwhile, Naseem Shah, Hunain Shah, Imad Wasim, Faheem Ashraf, and Shadab Khan each claimed one scalp, contributing to the collective effort that restricted Lahore Qalandars to a challenging target.

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