PSL 11: Islamabad United beat Quetta Gladiators by 8 wickets 

Lahore (Web Desk): Islamabad United secured a dominant 8-wicket win over Quetta Gladiators in the 9th fixture of Pakistan Super League season 11 (PSL-11) at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on Thursday, thanks to a superb batting display led by Sameer Minhas and captain Shadab Khan.

Pursuing a target of 184, Islamabad completed the chase in the 19th over with just two wickets lost. Minhas remained unbeaten with a brilliant 83 off 48 balls, while Shadab played an equally influential knock of 68 from 38 deliveries to steer his side home.

The run chase began positively, with Devon Conway and Minhas putting on a quick 40 runs for the opening wicket.

The breakthrough came when Abrar Ahmed removed Conway for 18, and the spinner struck again soon after to dismiss Andries Gous cheaply, leaving Islamabad at 61-2.

After the early setbacks, Minhas and Shadab took charge, carefully rebuilding before shifting gears.

They first added a steady 50-run stand to cross the 100-run mark and then extended their partnership into a match-defining century stand. Minhas reached his maiden PSL fifty during the innings, while Shadab notched up his ninth half-century in the competition, attacking the bowlers confidently as Islamabad crossed 150 in the 16th over.

Earlier, Quetta Gladiators posted 183-5 in their allotted 20 overs, aided by an aggressive start from Shamyl Hussain and Saud Shakeel. The pair put together a 50-run opening stand, taking advantage of the powerplay before Shamyl was dismissed for 21 by Salman Irshad.

Shakeel continued the momentum with a brisk 42 and shared a useful partnership with Khawaja Nafay, but Shadab intervened to remove the Quetta skipper and halt the progress.

Islamabad kept chipping away with timely wickets, as Imad Wasim accounted for Nafay, while Shadab struck twice in quick succession to dismiss Ben McDermott and Bevon Jacobs, leaving Quetta under pressure at 93-5.

The innings was then revived by a solid partnership between Hassan Nawaz and Tom Curran, who added valuable runs to push the total beyond 100.

Nawaz accelerated impressively, particularly in the 16th over where he took 21 runs off Imad Wasim, and went on to register an unbeaten 64 off 35 balls, marking his fifth PSL fifty. Curran supported him with a handy 29, helping Quetta finish strongly.

Despite their late flourish, Quetta’s total proved insufficient as Islamabad’s batters comfortably chased it down.

Shadab Khan also made a significant impact with the ball, finishing with figures of 3 for 23, while Imad Wasim and Salman Irshad picked up a wicket each to round off a disciplined bowling effort.