Islamabad United registered a crushing 10-wicket win over Quetta Gladiators in the 18th match of the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi.
It was Islamabad United's night from ball one. They outplayed Quetta Gladiators in all departments, chasing down the 134-run target in just 10 overs.
Earlier in the day, Islamabad United captain, Shadab Khan, asked Quetta to bat first with an aim to take advantage of the new wicket. Their bowlers stuck to the plan and never let Gladiators batsmen off the hook. Despite a few partnerships in the middle, Quetta's innings never took off as wickets kept tumbling at regular intervals.
Besides Jake Weatherald (43) and Azam Khan (26), no batsman could cross the 20-run mark as they got bundled out for just 133 runs in 20 overs.
Hasan Ali, Muhammad Musa and Mohammad Wasim chipped in with two wickets apiece for Islamabad.
Chasing a small target, swashbuckling opener Colin Munro ensured Islamabad United had a flying start.
Paired up with Usman Khawaja, Munro posted 97 runs in the batting powerplay, a record in the PSL. He scored a brisk 90 off 36 balls for the Man of the Match award.
With five losses in six games, Sarfaraz's team have no choice but to win the remaining games to stay in the tournament - a far cry, given their current state of performance. Meanwhile, Islamabad have moved up the ladder with this much-needed win, perching just under Lahore Qalandars with eight points.