PSL eliminator: Qalandars crush United to meet Gladiators in final

LAHORE: The Lahore Qalandars on Friday defeated the Islamabad United by 95 runs in the second eliminator of Pakistan Super League and reached the final where they would face the Quetta Gladiators.

Chasing the 203 target, the United could only muster 107 after they were bundled out in just 15.1 overs.

Shaheen Afridi, who has been off colour both in domestic and international cricket for a long period, clicked at the right moment. He gave away just three runs to pick up three wickets in 3.1 overs.

On the other hand, Salman Mirza and Rishad Hossain too grabbed three wickets each. They also bowled three of allotted overs and gave away 16 and 34 runs respectively.

Meanwhile, only two United batters could enter double figures. Salman Agha scored 33 and Shadab Khan 26.    

HARD-HITTERS 

Earlier, Kusal Parera and Muhammad Naeem propelled the Qalandars to 202 for 8, as they set a steep target for the United.

On the other hand, Naeem Shah, a national team star, ended up as the worst performer for the United. He conceded 52 runs of his allotted four overs without any scalp.

However, Tymal Mills begged three for 42 and Salman Arshad two for 40. Both of them bowled out their quota of overs.

Imad Wasim proved to be most economical bowler with the figures of three for 16 in three overs.

Meanwhile, Shadab Khan, the United captain, again had a disappointing showing. He bowled two overs for 25 runs.

TOSS

Earlier, the Qalandars decided to bat after winning the toss against United, as two sides face each other to grab a spot for PSL-10 final.

They have qualified for the second eliminator using two different routes. Islamabad United were second in PSL after the first round of matches, Quetta Gladiators topped the points table.

It meant that the Gladiators and the United met in the first qualifier, in which the former emerged victorious. Hence, the United got another chance to reach the final.

On the other hand, the Karachi Kings and the Qalandars were third and fourth, setting up a clash between the two archrivals in the first eliminator. At the end, the Qalandars defeated the Kings, enabling them to meet the United in Friday’s match.