Twitter Reactions: Azam Khan's ballistic 97 headlines Islamabad United's triumph over Quetta Gladiators
The young wicketkeeper batter smashed 97 off 42 to drag the United from 77/4 in 10 overs to 220/6 in 20 overs while batting first.
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Islamabad United further cemented their second place in the table with a dominating 63-run win over bottom-placed Quetta Gladiators in the 13th match of the Pakistan Super League 2023 on February 24. Young wicketkeeper batter Azam Khan fired 97 off just 42 to help the United post 220 on the board while batting first. Then another youngster Abrar Ahmed took 2/21 to bowl out the Gladiators for just 157 to earn crucial two points for the United.
Shadab Khan won the toss and elected to bat first at the National Bank Arena in Karachi with Fazalhaq Farooqi making his debut. Mohammad Hasnain dismissed last game's hero Rahmanullah Gurbaz on just eight runs in the second over to give the Gladiators a fine start.
He then bowled out the United's leading run-getter this season, Rassie van der Dussen for just one run in the fourth over. Odean Smith added more misery with Shadab Khan's valuable wicket in the seventh over to keep the United under pressure.
Colin Munro kept the scoreboard moving from another end and smashed 38 off 22 before getting bowled on an unplayable delivery by Aimal Khan in the 10th over. But Azam walked into the middle and changed the momentum completely for the United as he pulled off a 98-run partnership for the fifth wicket with Asif Ali.
Asif Ali scored 42 off 24 but Azam went on to smash 97 off 42 with the help of nine fours and eight huge sixes before he got bowled on the innings' last ball by Smith to miss his second T20 century by just three runs. Hasnain and Smith took two wickets each for the Gladiators but proved costly.
The chase was always going to be a tough job for the Gladiators, who struggled to cross the 170-run mark in the previous four games this season. They lost both their openers, Jason Roy and Martin Guptill, in the first two overs and were down to three wickets with just 26 runs.
Captain Sarfaraz Ahmed and Mohammad Hafeez kept the hopes alive with a 69-run stand for the fourth wicket but debutant Farooqi dismissed Hafeez in the 10th over to kill the game for the Gladiators completely. Hafeez top-scored with 48 off just 26 while Sarfaraz added 41 off 36 before getting out on Shadab Khan's delivery in the 16th over.
Iftikhar Ahmed valiantly added 39 off 27 but Hasan Ali bagged back-to-back wickets in the 19th over while Farooqi bagged his third in the last over to bowl out the Gladiators on just 157 in 19.1 overs. The win keeps Islamabad United in the second position with six points from four matches while Quetta Gladiators remain at the bottom with four defeats from five games this season.
Here is how Twitter is reacting to Islamabad United's big triumph:
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