Image Credit- AP
On the first night of the PSL 2024, Islamabad United
defeated the reigning champion Lahore Qalandars with the assistance of an
undefeated 138-run partnership between Shadab Khan and Agha Salman. United
chose to field, and despite past performance, they easily reached the
challenging target of 196, reaching it with 10 balls remaining.
Their cause was aided by Qalandars’ careless fielding, as they twice dismissed
Shadab and dropped multiple run-out chances. However, in the end, not a single
Qalandars bowler was able to stop United from scoring runs. Alex Hales set the
tone early on with a little cameo, and it was the last triumph Qalandars would
experience until Salman Fayyaz got rid of him with a crisp return catch.
What came next was Shadab at the top of his game with
the bat, perfectly timing and placing pace and spin. Salman, who finished the
match with an undefeated 64 off 31, provided him with even more explosive
support as he finished with an undefeated 74 off 41. It was fitting, therefore,
that the captain of United closed the game by hitting Fayyaz squarely over his
head for a massive six, raising United’s total to 200.
After a spectacular opening ceremony, the PSL began,
and Qalandars appeared to be off to a strong start as well. Although it only
took Sahibzada Farhan 29 balls to get his half-century, Qalandars’ scoring
wasn’t as consistent. Before Shadab dismissed him off the first ball he faced
off the spinner, Fakhar Zaman laboured at the other end. Shadab was going to
have an extremely busy day as they attempted to regain momentum for several
overs. United took the lead when Farhan overtook Tymal Mills, causing an even
more noticeable slowing.
Rassie van der Dussen’s skill was needed to turn the
ship around with a masterful late-overs knock. With an unbeaten 41-ball 71, he
attempted to make up for the time Qalandars had lost in the middle overs. David
Wiese’s few spectacular runs later in the innings helped push the two-time
reigning champions very almost to 200. But in the end, it wasn’t nearly enough
given United’s current state of mind.