Sameer Minhas's unbeaten 82 and Shadab Khan's 69 not out, along with his impressive bowling figures of three for 23, propelled Islamabad United to an eight-wicket victory over Quetta Gladiators. They successfully chased down the 184-run target with 10 balls to spare in the opening match of the third double-header of HBL Pakistan Super League 11, held at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Thursday.

With this win, Islamabad climbed to fourth place in the standings, accumulating three points, just behind third-placed Peshawar Zalmi, who narrowly lead on net run rate.

After losing two wickets for 61 runs in 6.5 overs, Shadab partnered with Sameer to form an unbroken match-winning 128-run partnership for the third wicket, guiding their team to victory. Shadab and Sameer took time to settle before exploding with their innings, scoring 22 runs off Tom Curran in the 12th over, with Sameer hitting a boundary and Shadab striking two fours and a six.

At 113 for two after 13 overs, Shadab and Sameer unleashed a flurry of runs, amassing 76 runs off the next 5.2 overs, comfortably steering their side home. Shadab hit a six off Usman Tariq in the 14th over, netting 12 runs, before hitting another six and a boundary off Ahmed Daniyal in the subsequent over, which yielded 16 runs.

The duo continued their onslaught with another six and a boundary off Usman in the 16th over, collecting 13 runs before doing the same to Abrar in the next over, scoring 14 runs in total.

Sameer capped off the contest in style, smashing a six over fine leg off Ahmed in the 19th over. His remarkable innings of 82 runs off 48 balls included eight fours and three sixes, marking his highest maiden half-century in competitive cricket. Shadab supported him well with 69 not out off 39 balls, featuring five fours and four sixes.

Earlier, Quetta Gladiators had managed to recover from a difficult situation thanks to an unbeaten 90-run partnership between Hasan Nawaz and Tom Curran, ultimately finishing with a score of 183 for five.

Brief scores:

Islamabad United beat Quetta Gladiators by eight wickets at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore

Quetta Gladiators: 183-5 in 20 overs (Hasan Nawaz 66 not out, Saud Shakeel 42, Tom Curran 29 not out, Shamyl Hussain 21; Shadab Khan 3-23)

Islamabad United: 189-2 in 18.2 overs (Sameer Minhas 82 not out, Shadab Khan 69 not out; Abrar Ahmed 2-29)

Player of the match: Shadab Khan (Islamabad United)

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