Azam, Hasnain guide Quetta to thrilling win

KARACHI: Defending champions Quetta Gladiators began their quest for a second successive title with a stunning three-wicket triumph over Islamabad United in their opening match of HBL Pakistan Super League here at the National Stadium on Thursday night.

It was a 33-ball 59 from 21-year-old rookie Azam Khan that allowed Quetta to overcome the loss of their top order and tame Islamabad with nine balls to spare.

The other hero of the night for Quetta was their young pacer Mohammad Hasnain, who took an impressive four-wicket haul to keep Islamabad at bay.

Chasing 169 for victory, Quetta were reeling at 26-3 having lost their top three batters — Jason Roy (0), Shane Watson (15) and Ahmed Shehzad (7) when Azam joined his captain Sarfraz at the crease.

A son of former Pakistan captain Moin Khan, who is also Quetta’s head coach, Azam had attracted a lot of criticism over his selection with many claiming that his was a case of blatant nepotism.

But the burly Azam, who made an unimpressive PSL debut in Abu Dhabi last year, silenced his critics as he smashed five fours and three sixes to put Quetta in the hunt. Later, valuable contributions from Mohammad Nawaz (23), Ben Cutting (22 not out) and Sohail Khan (18) enabled Quetta to begin their 2020 campaign on a winning note.

Earlier, Islamabad were bowled out for 168 in 19.1 overs. It was almost single-handedly because of David Malan’s 40-ball 64 that Islamabad were able to bounce back from the early losses of their highly-rated openers Colin Munro and Luke Ronchi. Munro fell to Mohammad Nawaz on the very first ball of PSL season 5 after Sarfraz won the toss and asked Islamabad to bat first.

Ronchi added 38 with Malan before falling to Sohail Khan. It was the third wicket stand of 68 between Malan and Hussain Talat (19) that allowed Islamabad to put a sizeable total in the season-opener. Malan hit five fours and three sixers in his attractive 64. Asif Ali and Faheem Ashraf chipped in with whirlwind cameos at the end of the innings. Islamabad could have posted a bigger total but lost their last three wickets for just five runs. Quetta’s hero with the ball was their young pacer Mohammad Hasnain who finished with impressive figures of 4-25. Australian pacer Ben Cutting took 3-31 while Sohail Khan claimed 2-21.