Islamabad United 189 for 2 (Minhas 82*, Shadab 69*, Abrar 2-29) beat Quetta Gladiators 183 for 5 (Hasan Nawaz 66*, Shakeen 42, Shadab 3-23) by eight wickets
A huge partnership between Islamabad United captain Shadab Khan and Pakistan's ascendant U-19 star Sameer Minhas formed the backbone of a comfortable chase that led the side to an eight-wicket victory over Quetta Gladiators. The pair put on an undefeated 128 off 68 balls, with both players scoring half-centuries as United made light work of the 184 that an unbeaten 36-ball 66 from Hasan Nawaz had helped put up for the Gladiators.
The chase wasn't quite as certain when the pair came together. Abrar Ahmed had ended a struggle of an innings from Devon Conway before sending Andries Gous packing shortly after. By the end of the 11th over, United were vulnerably placed at 86 for 2, with the asking rate hovering around 11.
But an ill-timed 12th over, which Saud Shakeel fatefully handed to the struggling Tom Curran turned the game around. Minhas and Shadab smashed him for 22 to grab the momentum, and never looked back after that. Minhas had looked in superb touch right from the outset, and was the primary source of the runs in the powerplay, and Shadab caught up effectively, especially effective against the mystery spin of Usman Tariq.
Tariq would be left to rue a fateful dropped chance when Shadab drove one straight back to him, with the United captain on 9 at that time. That, though, was a distant memory when the pair powered towards the finish, the win appropriately achieved by a sweetly timed hook over square leg from Minhas that flew for six.
After Wednesday's high-scoring exploits, Quetta's 183 never quite looked enough. In the first innings, too, it was Shadab who had a huge influence on the game, turning in one of his best bowling performances in a long time, and consequently being rewarded with figures of 3-23 in his allotted four. The Gladiators were punished for relative lethargy at the start, taking a couple of overs before getting going, and then unable to build on the productive second half of the powerplay when Imad Wasim and Shadab came into the attack.
Imad was initially responsible for reining the Gladiators in, conceding 16 in his first three and inducing Khawaja Nafay into holing out. But Shadab's following over was the piece de resistance, a lovely legspinner cutting away and taking the top of Ben McDermott's off stump with it, before extra flight dispatched with Bevon Jacobs for a golden duck.
Gladiators had Hasan Nawaz to draw encouragement from, who blitzed United in the final five overs to give his bowlers something to defend. He pummelled Imad for 21 in his final over as part of an onslaught alongside Curran that produced 74 in the final five. That brilliance, however, could not undo the sluggishness of the first 15 overs, or compete with the brilliance of Shadab and Minhas.
