Asif Ali stars in Islamabad United’s 28-run win over Lahore Qalandars in PSL

Islamabad United moved atop the Pakistan Super League standings after making a dramatic restoration for a 28-run win over Lahore Qalandars right here.
Pakistan worldwide Asif Ali revived Islamabad from a precarious 20-5 with a 43-ball 75 to take the two-time champion to a complete of 152-7 after captain Shadab Khan gained the toss and stunned virtually everybody by selecting to bat on Sunday night time.
It was the primary time in six PSL editions that Islamabad had opted to bat first after profitable the toss — on all earlier 24 events Islamabad selected to chase after profitable the toss.
In reply, Lahore was cruising at 86-2 till shedding seven wickets for under 14 runs and crashing to be all out for 124 in 18.2 overs.
Lahore’s No. 11 Rauf (17) was one among three in his group to achieve double figures as Islamabad quick bowler Mohammad Musa (3-18) began the rot and was ably supported by the 2 leg-spinners — Shadab (2-14) and Fawad Ahmed (2-27).
In the late recreation, Mohammad Rizwan’s unbeaten 82 and 116-run second-wicket stand with Sohaib Maqsood helped Multan Sultans to an eight-wicket win over Peshawar Zalmi. Rizwan had a hand in 5 dismissals and medium tempo bowler Shahnawaz Dhai took 4-31 because the Sultans restricted Peshawar to 166-7. The Sultans reached 167-2 with 21 balls to spare.
Islamabad and second-place Lahore every has 10 factors after seven video games, however Islamabad has a superior internet run-rate.
Australian James Faulkner (3-19) continued to impress upfront along with his left-arm swing bowling which claimed three early Islamabad wickets.
Fellow Australian Usman Khawaja fell with out scoring to Shaheen Afridi within the first over and, when Shadab was caught behind off Rauf’s first supply, Islamabad had misplaced half the aspect by solely the seventh over.
But Ali and Iftikhar Ahmed (49) then dealt a counterpunch with a breezy 123-run stand. Ali hit six fours and in addition dominated the leg-spin of Rashid Khan (0-36), who completed with a uncommon wicketless spell of 4 overs.
Ali’s dismissal was an uncommon one. He was out hit wicket as he tried to drag Afridi within the penultimate over however dragged far again into the crease and clipped the bails along with his pads. Ahmed, who additionally struck six boundaries, was caught within the deep within the final over to present Rauf (2-29) his second wicket.
Lahore’s opening pair — Fakhar Zaman (44) and captain Sohail Akhtar (34) — offered a stable platform of 55 runs earlier than Akhtar was trapped leg earlier than wicket by Ahmed within the final over of the batting powerplay.
Both scored with ease within the absence of Islamabad’s two frontline quick bowlers — Faheem Ashraf, who’s injured, and Hasan Ali, who will miss the rest of the PSL as a consequence of household causes.
But Lahore’s middle-order was undone by Musa in his successive overs with Mohammad Hafeez and Zaman holing out within the deep and Ben Dunk getting a faint edge behind.
Shadab, who had been struggling to get wickets, lastly bought his act collectively when he eliminated Tim David after which clear bowled Rashid with a pointy googly in the identical over. Lahore slipped from 86-2 to 100-9 within the fifteenth over earlier than getting bowled out with 10 balls to spare.