Fakhar, Rashid Help Lahore Thrash Islamabad In A One-Sided Affair
Fakhar Zaman scored his 2nd PSL ton (Twitter)
A special hundred from Fakhar Zaman and a terrific bowling display from Rashid Khan helped Lahore Qalandars crush Islamabad United by 119 runs in a one-sided affair to confirm their top-two spot in the playoffs.
Fakhar Zaman goes absolutely ballistic in a brutal onslaught
Qalandars elected to bat first on a belter of a wicket. However, the table toppers couldn't get off to an ideal start as Islamabad's Fazalhaq Farooqi struck in his first over to send back Abdullah Shafique. Kamran Ghulam joined Fakhar Zaman in the middle. When the latter was looking to find his feet, Hasan Ali created an opportunity to dismiss him early in the innings but Asif Ali's drop denied it. Riding on his luck, Fakhar punished Islamabad bowlers.
Meanwhile, Kamran was playing his part in the partnership, striking boundaries at regular intervals. The power-packed duo added 122 runs in just 61 deliveries for the second wicket before Mohammad Wasim Jr removed Ghulam for a well-made 41. Fakhar was in no mood to spare the bowlers and he brought up the second PSL century in the 16th over.Billings gave Fakhar good company and the duo ran riot during the middle overs. The left-handed Fakhar got out in the 18th over. He made 115 runs off just 57 balls, smashing eight boundaries and as many sixes. Despite losing their main batter, Qalandars posted a daunting total courtesy of a brilliant cameo by Rashid Khan at the end.
Rashid triggered Islamabad's batting collapse
During the mid-innings break it was confirmed that Azam Khan, who got injured while keeping the wickets in the first over, will not be able to bat in the second innings. Chasing a mammoth total, Islamabad started on a positive note but then Zaman Khan provided the necessary breakthrough, getting the wicket of Rahmanullah Gurbaz.
Alex Hales was struggling to tee off on a good-looking surface but the Qalandars bowlers were very disciplined and they got their reward in the form of Colin Munro's wicket. Islamabad still managed to score 50 in the power play. Islamabad captain Shadab Khan smashed a couple of boundaries but soon got out to Rashid Khan.
The leg-spinning maestro then wreaked havoc with the ball. He single-handedly dismantled the middle order of Islamabad. The leg spinner bowled a great spell, picking four wickets while giving away only 21 runs in his quota of four overs. Haris Rauf contributed to his team's win with a couple of wickets at the backend to bundle out the opposition for 107 inside 16 overs to consolidate the top spot in the points table.
Brief Score:
Lahore Qalandars: 226/5 (20 overs)
Fakhar Zaman 115(57), Kamran Ghulam 41(30);
Fazalhaq Farooqi: 3/40, Hasan Ali: 1/33
Islamabad United: 107/10 (15.1 overs)
Hasan Ali 18 (13), Alex Hales 18 (16)
Rashid Khan 4/21, Haris Rauf 2/16
Match Result: Lahore Qalandars won by 119 runs
