Islamabad United defeated Lahore Qalandars by eight wickets to get their title defence off to a strong start. Jason Holder, who took 4 for 26, and Colin Munro, who led United through the beginning of a potentially challenging chase with an undefeated 42-ball 59, both had outstanding performances. However, the holders ultimately easily defeated a 140-run chase, eliminating any threat long before the winning runs were scored with 14 balls remaining.
After winning the toss, United fielded first and got off to a tidy start against Fakhar Zaman, cramping him with the short ball. The Qalandars struggled to get going on a pitch that didn’t allow run-scoring as freely as the Rawalpindi Stadium has in the past, and Riley Meredith dismissed the seasoned opener after he failed to get on top of a hook. Abdullah Shafique attacked Naseem Shah in the third over of the Qalandars, but spinners Imad Wasim and Shadab Khan swiftly responded with a double-blow, sending Daryl Mitchell and Sam Billings on their way.
From one end, Shafique appeared sophisticated as he used his feet to counter the spinners and timed the ball flawlessly against pace. He was the only one who could defeat Imad, as evidenced by a six that was lofted back over his head. He tried repeatedly to break the shackles, but wickets at the other end prevented him from doing so.
After a brisk 35-run partnership between Sikandar Raza and Shafique, the Qalandars were severely derailed by three wickets for two runs. Holder seized two of them, dismissing Jahandad Khan and smashing back David Wiese’s stumps off consecutive deliveries. Before Shadab’s third wicket completed the innings with four balls remaining, Shafique’s struggle came to an end when he was dismissed as the ninth man out, for 66 off 38.
Holder, whose variations had been hard to manage early on, then ensnared Shaheen Afridi.
United didn’t get off to the fast start they’ve come to expect in these situations, but that might have had less to do with the Qalandars bowlers’ skill and more to do with the surface’s difficulty. Asif Afridi, a 38-year-old left-arm orthodox spinner, put the hitters to the test the most because Shaheen was unable to establish early swing. He kept United under control by giving up just eight runs in his three overs during the powerplay and dismissing Andries Gous in his first over.
Sahibzada Farhan and Munro, however, gradually started to develop into the chase after United had time to repel the Qalandars’ initial ferocity. While Munro continued to dismiss United’s bowlers from the other end, Farhan, who had trouble with timing, punished enough bad deliveries to blow three sixes in his twenty-four-ball twenty-five. Jahandad Khan was on his way after being slapped down the ground by his first ball, and they started to dismantle the Qalandars once Salman Agha joined him.
David Wiese’s errant 12th over yielded 17 runs, which reduced the asking rate to around one run per ball. After that, Qalandars had no more power to put any pressure on their opponents. Immediately after Wiese’s over, Agha played a slap over mid-off against Haris Rauf, solidifying his team’s superiority with a typically helpful knock.
With momentum on their side, United scored another boundary and Munro slapped Shaheen for an inside-out six. Agha then cut Jahandad Khan over extra-cover, completing the victory they had been briskly pursuing for a while.
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