Sam Billings from Islamabad United plays a shot during his unbeaten knock of 74 runs in the PSL match against Quetta Gladiators at Sharjah Cricket stadium on Wednesday.
The Englishman strode like a colossus on the ground, smashing almost everything that was thrown at him
Published: Wed 15 Feb 2017, 10:37 PM
Last updated: Thu 16 Feb 2017, 12:54 AM
The Sharjah Cricket Stadium is known for its exhilarating and nerve-wracking matches. And on Wednesday night it didn't let the sizeable crowd down.
Sam Billings strode like a colossus on the ground, smashing almost everything that was thrown at him to help Islamabad United maintain their stranglehold over Quetta Gladiators in the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL).
The Misbah-ul-Haq led side won the match by five wickets, chasing down 149 in 19.1 overs with Billings signing off with a huge six to deprive Quetta of a revenge as they had lost last year's final to the same opponents.
Billings made his intentions clear right in the beginning when he gave Anwar Ali the charge clobbering the bowler for three boundaries in an over. But the wickets of Dwayne Smith (10) and Brad haddin (6) slowed him down for some time.
When Shane Watson joined Billings at the crease all hell broke loose. Watson sent Thisara Perera twice out of the ground and Billings punished Umar Gul at the other end. Both batsmen cut loose for a 63-run partnership from 43 balls when Perera finally saw the back of Watson after the Aussie tried to pull him once again over the fence.
But Billings continued to smash the bowling all over to win the match for his side.
Earlier, Quetta Gladiators, after being sent in by Misbah, got to 148 for 6 when they should have managed something close to 170 especially after the start their openers Ahmed Shehzad and Asad Shafiq gave the team.
Shehzad looked like a man in a hurry as he hit Mohammad Irfan for a couple of boundaries. Mohammad Sami too was greeted by Shehzad with a big six through mid-wicket but the bowler got his revenge when the opener tried to pull him over mid-on this time only to hole out to Zohaib.
Next ball Sami trapped Kevin Pietersen with an inswinging yorker. The former England international is having a nightmare of a tournament after being sent back to the pavilion for his second duck in three matches. He had scored three in the opening match.
Rilee Rossouw was lucky to survive a stumping when on four after he stepped out for a mighty heave off Shadab Khan only for Brad Haddin to fluff an easy chance.
The South African, coming into this match with scores of 60 and 76 not out, didn't make it count and in trying to pull Shane Watson was caught in the deep by Rumman Raees for seven.
Skipper Sarfraz and Bangladesh's Mahmudullah Riaz tried to up the ante but Shadab Khan choked the runs. And though the leg break bowler went wicket-less, his four overs cost him only 19 runs.
Until this stage Islamabad were doing well but with few overs remaining Mahmudullah and Thisara Perera threw their bats around and managed to raise 46 runs from 29 balls that gave their team something to defend.
Thisara struck two fours and a six for his 27 and Mahmudullah remained not out on 29 from 20 balls with a six and two fours.
Mohammad Sami began well but later leaked too many runs and finished with 2 for 28 while Shane Watson did well to end with 2 for 22.
clareto@khaleejtimes.com
SCOREBOARD
Quetta Gladiators
A Shafiq b Watson 45
A Shehzad c Z Khan b M Sami 26
K Pietersen lbw b M Sami 0
R Rossouw c R Raees b Watson 7
S Ahmed c Haddin b R Raees 12
Mahmudullah not out 29
N Perera run out (R Raees) 27
Extras (w 2) 2
Total (6 wickets; 20 overs) 148
Did not bat: Hasan Khan, Anwar Ali, Mohammad Nawaz (3), Umar Gul
Fall: 1-35 (Shehzad, 4.1 ov), 2-35 (Pietersen, 4.2 ov), 3-66 (Rossouw, 9.5 ov), 4-85 (Sarfraz, 12.2 ov), 5-102 (Shafiq, 15.1 ov), 6-148 (Perera, 19.6 ov)
Bowling: M Irfan 4-0-37-0; M Sami 4-0-28-2; R Raees 4-0-29-1; S Khan 4-0-19-0; S Watson 3-0-22-2; Z Khan 1-0-13-0
Islamabad United
D Smith b M Nawaz 10
S Billings not out 74
B Haddin c Sarfraz b M Nawaz 6
Misbah lbw b H Khan 10
S Watson c Hasan Khan b Perera 36 27 4 2 133.33
A Ali c Pietersen b Umar Gul 1 2 0 0 50.00
S Khan not out 0 0 0 0 -
Extras (b 5, lb 1, w 2) 8
Total (5 wickets; 19.1 overs) 149
Did not bat: Mohammad Sami, Mohammad Irfan, Rumman Raees, Zohaib Khan
Fall: 1-39 (Smith, 5.3 ov), 2-53 (Haddin, 7.5 ov), 3-72 (Misbah-ul-Haq, 10.4 ov), 4-135 (Watson, 17.5 ov), 5-145 (Asif Ali, 18.6 ov)
Bowling: Anwar Ali 4-0-27-0; Umar Gul 4-0-34-1; NLTC Perera 3.1-0-40-1; Mohammad Nawaz 4-0-18-2; Hasan Khan 4-0-24-1
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