PSL 2018, Match 9 Review: Pietersen powers Quetta Gladiators to an easy win

The onus shifted from Dubai to Sharjah, but that didn’t diminish the fun as Quetta Gladiators picked up two crucial points on Wednesday. Both Quetta and Islamabad were off to a shaky start in the tournament and they were looking for a win to gain some momentum to build a decent platform for the rest of the tournament.

Batting first, Islamabad was off to a flying start thanks to Luke Ronchi’s exploits. They would’ve been in the driver’s seat as far as the balance in the game is concerned after the Powerplay, but losing two wickets inside the first six overs can never help. Just when their innings was taking shape, Ronchi was dismissed for a 26-ball 43 in the 9th over.

JP Duminy arrived just days ago after the very exciting series against India came to an end. He and Misbah-ul-Haq stitched a partnership for the fourth wicket which literally stemmed the run flow and got the Gladiators in full command. They failed to compensate for the slow starts they got and the biggest loser of all this was the team.

Duminy registered 14 runs off 26 balls whilst the skipper Misbah scored 22 runs off 25 balls. Strike rate less than 100 is considered an offense these days and their partnership failed to get the side back on track. Their momentum got downtrodden and all the bowlers took full advantage of the situation.

Faheem Ashraf played a blinder towards the end and got them to 134 runs for the loss of 7 wickets. Rahat Ali was the pick of the bowlers for the Gladiators, giving away just 18 runs in 4 overs and picking up a wicket.

And the veteran does the job!

It was a below-par total registered by Islamabad United in the first innings and they were obviously on the backfoot. Asad Shafiq and Shane Watson gave their side a decent start, galloping a few boundaries with the field restrictions in play. But towards the end of the batting powerplay, they lost three quick wickets.

Shane Watson was the first one to go, succumbing to Steven Finn’s relentless pressure. Mohammad Sami came back in the 4th over to rattle Umar Amin’s stumps and Finn did the same to Asad Shafiq’s sticks. They were in deep trouble at 48/3 in 6 overs and all they needed was a good partnership.

Kevin Pietersen walked in to bat with his side in a spot of bother. The veteran English batsman used all his experience to slay the bowling lineup’s confidence on a track which never really assisted the batters. He exhibited great class and skill to get his side into a good position. Few of his shots also resembled some golf shots, the testament to a fact that “He’s a better golfer than Dhoni.”

He smashed 3 sixes and 4 boundaries en route to a 34-ball 48. He stitched 70 runs for the 4th wicket alongside Mohammad Nawaz, who blocked the other making things a bit easy for Pietersen. When KP fell two runs short of his fifty, Nawaz opened up a bit and completed the run chase alongside his skipper Sarfraz Ahmed in 17.1 overs. But the winning side has no breathing space as they face Peshawar Zalmi inside 20 hours after the game.

Brief Scores

Islamabad United: 134/7 in 20 overs (Luke Ronchi 43; Rahat Ali 1/18)

Quetta Gladiators: 135/4 in 17.1 overs (Kevin Pietersen 48; Steven Finn 3/35)

Player of the match: Kevin Pietersen

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