Quetta Gladiators vs Islamabad United Archives

PSL 9: Gladiators win toss, elect to bowl first against United

LAHORE: Quetta Gladiators have won the toss and elected to bowl first against Islamabad United in the eighth match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 9 here at Gaddafi Stadium on Thursday.

PLAYING XIs

Quetta Gladiators: Jason Roy, Saud Shakeel (vc), Khawaja Nafay, Rilee Rossouw (c), Sarfaraz Ahmed, Sherfane Rutherford, Akeal Hosein, Muhammad Wasim Jnr, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Amir, Abrar Ahmed.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Islamabad United: Alex Hales, Colin Munro, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan (c), Azam Khan (wk), Jordan Cox, Imad Wasim, Faheem Ashraf, Hunain Shah, Naseem Shah, Rumman Raees.

HEAD TO HEAD

Matches 17, Islamabad United 9, Quetta Gladiators 8

READ: Naveen-ul-Haq set to join Peshawar Zalmi for PSL 9

Azam Khan credits his father Moin Khan for dealing with criticism

KARACHI: Islamabad United’s Azam Khan coined his father Moin Khan an inspiration for backing him despite all the odds following his match-winning knock against Quetta Gladiators in the 13th fixture of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season eight.

Azam stole the limelight with his astounding 97-run knock that fired the United to post a mammoth 220/6 against his former PSL franchise Gladiators.

The right-handed batter baton charged the Gladiators’ bowlers as he smashed them all over the park amid his magnificent knock that featured eight boundaries and nine gigantic sixes.

The young wicketkeeper batter has often been at the receiving end of criticism for his poor fitness despite his power-hitting abilities.

Meanwhile, following his match-winning knock, Azam praised his father Moin, the head coach of the Gladiators for backing him despite all the odds and making him mentally strong to face the criticism.

“When I met him [Moin] after the match, he praised my innings and asked me to continue performing,” Azam.

“My father is my biggest inspiration. He made me mentally so strong and always backed me to perform well despite all the odds. He already told me about the criticism and helped me fight against it. I hope I will keep on making him proud,” he added.

Azam then went on to highlight the importance of power-hitting and strike rate in T20s, stating that it is essential for a batter who plays down the order.

“Strike rate matters a lot in T20 cricket. It is my style of play and I really enjoy it,” said Azam.

“At the position where I bat, you get very limited time to set. In such a case, you have to be ready for hitting the ball hard,” he added.

It is pertinent to mention that Azam’s United closed in with table-toppers Multan Sultans following their back-to-back triumph in the ongoing extravaganza.

The two-time champions tightened their grip on the second spot with six points in four matches behind the Sultans, who lead the standings with eight points in five matches.

READ: ‘Disappointed’ Gul optimistic for Gladiators comeback

PSL 8: United win toss, elect to bat first against Gladiators

KARACHI: Islamabad United have won the toss and elected to bat first against Quetta Gladiators in the 13th match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season eight.

PLAYING XIs

Quetta Gladiators: Sarfaraz Ahmed (c), Jason Roy, Will Smeed, Martin Guptill, Iftikhar Ahmed, Odean Smith, Muhammad Hafeez, Mohammad Nawaz, Aimal Khan, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Hasnain

Islamabad United: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Colin Munro, Rassie van der Dussen, Shadab Khan (c), Azam Khan, Asif Ali, Mubasir Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Abrar Ahmed, Hasan Ali, Fazalhaq Farooqi

HEAD TO HEAD

Matches 15, Quetta Gladiators 8, Islamabad United 7

Quetta Gladiators win toss, elect to bowl first against Islamabad United

KARACHI: Quetta Gladiators have won the toss and decided to bowl first in the 10th match of the ongoing seventh edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), here on Thursday.

HEAD TO HEAD

Matches-13, Quetta Gladiators-7, Islamabad United-6

PLAYING XIs

Quetta Gladiators: Sarfaraz Ahmed (c), Ahsan Ali, James Vince, Abdul Bangalzai, Ben Duckett, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Nawaz, James Faulkner, Sohail Tanvir, Naseem Shah

Islamabad United: Shadab Khan (c), Alex Hales, Paul Stirling, Colin Munro, Asif Ali, Azam Khan, Mubasir Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Wasim, Hasan Ali, Waqas Maqsood

Gladiators, United to compete today in search of second win in PSL 7

In the 10th match of the seventh edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), Quetta Gladiators and Islamabad United are set to lock horns to secure the second victory in the ongoing PSL 7.

The two sides, who are currently placed in the middle of the points table will be looking to surge up the order.

United, which is currently in the third position, has only played two games so far, winning one of them. Despite their loss against Multan Sultans in the eighth match, the team will be confident in their ability to defeat the limping Gladiators.

For the United, the skipper – Shadab Khan will be a player to watch following his spectacular 91 against the Sultans which however went in vain. In addition, their openers – Alex Hales and Paul Stirling can also be lethal earlier in the innings for the Gladiators’ bowlers.

[totalpoll id=”236325″]

The Gladiators, on the other hand, are also in dire need to seal the second triumph in the ongoing PSL 7. Winning just one out of their three matches so far is evolving into a near-must-win situation for the 2019 champions.

The side will be highly reliant on in-form opener Ahsan Ali, while Will Smeed can also be handy if he gets going. The Gladiators will also be looking to avail the services of returning all-rounder – Shahid Afridi, who will be available for the selection for the encounter, while the English opener – James Vince is also ready to take on the field for the men in purple.

HEAD TO HEAD

The two sides have come face to face 13 times, with the Gladiators emerging victorious seven times, while United are just one short with six. In the last five outings also, the Gladiators are ahead of the United with three victories.

EXPECTED PLAYING XIs

Islamabad United: Shadab Khan (c), Alex Hales, Paul Stirling, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Mubasir Khan, Asif Ali, Azam Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Hasan Ali, Marchant De Lange

Quetta Gladiators: Sarfaraz Ahmed (c), Ahsan Ali, James Vince, Ben Duckett, Iftikhar Ahmed, Ashir Qureshi, Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Nawaz, Sohail Tanvir, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Hasnain