Grant Elliott nicks a thriller for Lahore Qalandars

Sharjah - Chasing 146, the Lahore Qalandars innings was a mirror image of Islamabad United with them five down for 69.

Sharjah didn't disappoint yet again with the final game of the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) at this venue, for this edition, being not for the faint hearted.
And New Zealander Grant Elliott smoked a six over long on off experienced pacer Mohammad Sami, to nick a one-wicket victory, with five balls to spare for the Lahore Qalandars against defending champions Islamabad United, late on Monday night.
Chasing 146, the Lahore Qalandars innings was a mirror image of Islamabad United with them five down for 69. But Umar Akmal played a fine hand of 66 before he fell leg before to the impressive leg spinner Shadab Khan. Akmal had put on 41 for the sixth wicket with Grant Elliott.
The Lahore Qalandars still needed 36 from the remaining 22 balls and though new man Sunil Narine swished and missed the first one, he smoked back-to-back sixes over midwicket to take the equation to 24 from 19 balls.
Elliott then took the equation down to 12 needed from 12 balls but left-arm pacer Rumman Raees had Narine left before and the Lahore Qalandars were 134 for seven.
Raees then picked up his third wicket by seeing the back of Sohail Tanvir and now six were needed from the last over.
The experienced Mohammad Sami charged into bowl the last over and Aamer Yamin scooped a catch to Dwayne Smith. It was six to get off five now and Elliott smoked it over long on to get them over the line.
 Much earlier, the Lahore Qalandars pursuit of 146 stuttered and spluttered as opener Cameron Delport was dismissed by the towering fast bowler Mohammad Irfan.
Then, in the next over, Raees got his bunny, the Lahore Qalandars captain Brendon McCullum. McCullum had also fallen to Raees when the two sides had met in Dubai on February 11.
Leg spinner Shadab Khan, who had starred with the bat earlier, had Fakhar Zaman leg before as the batsman tried to reverse sweep.
The Lahore Qalandars were now 35 for three and it was to later become four for 54 after Shane Watson had Mohammad Rizwan castled.
Watson then conjured a run out to see the back of Mohammad Irfan (Jr) as the Lahore Qalandars slid to 69 for five.
Earlier, Islamabad United scrambled their way to 145 for eight, after being asked to have first go at the surface.
 They would have probably ended lower than that if not for the young guns Shadab Khan and emerging player Amad Butt.
The Islamabad United batting cast, despite bringing a plethora of experience to the table, haven't quite set this edition of the League on fire. And there was no bucking that trend either.
Misbah's side were left skating on thin ice at 83 for six with all their experienced men like opener Dwayne Smith, the previous game's hero, Brad Haddin, Misbah himself, Shane Watson and Ben Duckett, who had come into the team in place of Sam Billings, all gone.
And that raised the prospect of a really meagre total. But Shadab and Butt, who kept his nerves to scamper for the match-winning single against Peshawar Zalmi, the other night, threw caution to the wind with a crucial 53 partnership from 33 balls for the seventh wicket.
The 18-year-old Shadab took the bull by the horns and smoked three sixes and two boundaries for 42 from just 24 balls, while Butt made a 16-ball 17 with a boundary and a six.
Shadab was run out off the last ball of the innings while going for a two. The total that they put up gave Islamabad United something to work with.
Earlier, Islamabad United had found themselves in that situation after medium pacer Aamer Yamin, who replaced Englishman Jason Roy, and who last year played for Peshawar Zalmi, had combined with leg spinner Yasir Shah to poke holes.
 Yamin accounted for Pakistan's veteran domestic scorer Rafatullah Mohmand, Haddin and Misbah.
Shah, who had replaced off-spinner Sunil Narine and came on to bowl the seventh over, was welcomed by Dwayne Smith with an 88-metre six. But Shah got his revenge but having him leg before, off the next ball.
Shah then went on to castle Duckett for 14 as Islamabad United were five down for 79.
james@khaleejtimes.com