SHARJAH: Quetta Gladi­ators maintained their two-point advantage at the top of the Pakistan Super League standings with a convincing seven-wicket win over Islamabad United at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Thursday.

Playing the second match on a slightly two-paced wicket, Quetta’s bowlers led by Grant Elliott’s 3 for 25 bowled Islamabad out for 117 before Ahmed Shehzad and skipper Sarfraz Ahmed batted fluently as the Gladiators strolled to the target with 23 balls to spare.

The start of the game gave an indication of the familiar Sharjah script playing itself. Quetta won the toss and put the opposition and Islam­abad led by Shane Watson got off to a sparkling start.

The burly Australian all-rounder picked up a couple of fours off Anwar Ali and a handsomely-struck six off Zulfiqar Babar to get the scoreboard ticking. However his opening partner Sharjeel Khan, who timed almost everything immaculately the other night against Lahore, hit a full toss straight down the throat of deep mid-wicket. United, though, had raced away to 54-1 in the Powerplay and then old habits resurfaced to haunt them.

Watson then top-edged a pull off paceman Aizaz Che­e­ma to fall for a 28-ball 40, trig­gering a startling collapse. Elliott, who joined the Quetta squad following his inter­n­ational duty for New Zealand, struck off the last and first deliveries of his first and second over to send back Brand Haddin and Sam Billings. The Gladiators had roared back into the contest.

With the pitch taking turn, Sarfraz brought on his tweakers. Khalid Latif was adju­dged out LBW to a Moham­mad Nabi off-spinner altho­ugh replays suggested that ball would have gone over the stumps and Imran Khalid was caught behind off Moha­m­mad Nawaz, ending any hopes of a competitive total.

Elliott, showing great commitment after a 15-hour flight from New Zealand to Dubai, finished with three while Zulfiqar and Aizaz, on his PSL debut, picked up two wickets apiece as Islamabad lost their last eight wickets for 57, folding for a measly 117.

If they were to force an unlikely win, Islamabad needed to strike — early and multiple times. Andre Russell got rid of the English duo of Luke Wright and Kevin Pietersen off successive deliveries to give them a glimmer of hope but a 59-run stand between Sarfraz and Shehzad put paid to their chances.

Shehzad mistimed a pull to give Russell his third wicket but Sarfraz got to his first 50 off the tournament off 37 deliveries to take his side home without having to their fourth victory from five games.

Published in Dawn, February 13th, 2016