DUBAI: Mohammad Sami had a birthday to remember at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium here on Friday night as holders Islamabad United snatched a dramatic one-run victory over Quetta Gladiators to book their place in 2017 HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) playoffs.

Seemingly down and out when Kevin Pietersen and Ahmed Shehzad were making mockery of a 166-run target during a second-wicket partnership of 133 in 85 deliveries, Islamabad came from the death, thanks to the 36-year-old ex-Pakistan speedster Sami, who bowled a brilliant final over from which Quetta could score just three singles.

Requiring five at the start of the over, Quetta lost Anwar Ali to a magnificent direct hit from long-off from where Dwayne Smith fired in a bullet return to catch Anwar just a millimetre short of the crease.

With three wanted from the last ball, Rilee Rossouw couldn’t get the ball past Islamabad captain Misbah-ul-Haq, who misfielded at midwicket but the pressure got to Rossouw as he only took a single despite Thisara Perera pleading him on to run a second which would have levelled the scores and forced a Super-Over to decide the winners.

Shehzad and Pietersen got out on successive balls; Pietersen (69 off 43 balls, six fours and three sixes) was erroneously adjudged LBW to young leggie Shadab Khan by umpire Ahsan Raza as TV replays indicated the ball going over the stumps.

Shehzad (59 off 51) then fell to Sami, who was named man-of-the-match.

Earlier, Hussain Talat made stunning PSL debut by stroking 56 from 39 balls after the tournament’s top run-getter Dwayne Smith holed out to long-off without scoring on the third ball of the match.

The 20-year-old left-handed Hussain struck the ball crisply for six boundaries and a brace of sixes. He was eventually taken on long-off boundary to leave Islamabad at 76-3 in the 11th over.

Scoreboard

ISLAMABAD UNITED:

D.R. Smith c Nawaz b Zulfiqar 0

Riffatullah Mohmand c Zulfiqar b Perera 17

Hussain Talat c Perera b Zulfiqar 56

Misbah-ul-Haq c Nawaz b Anwar 25

B.J. Haddin c Anwar b Hassaan 22

S.R. Watson lbw b Anwar 29

Shadab Khan not out 9

EXTRAS (LB-2, W-5) 7

TOTAL (for six wkts, 20 overs) 165

FALL OF WKTS: 1-0, 2-60, 3-76, 4-117, 5-135, 6-165.

DID NOT BAT: Mohammad Sami, Rumman Raees Khan, S. Badree, Mohammad Irfan.

BOWLING: Zulfiqar Babar 4-0-17-2; Mahmudullah 2-0-18-0; Mohammad Nawaz 4-0-29-0; Anwar Ali 4-0-51-2; Hassaan Khan 4-0-35-1 (1w); Perera 2-0-13-1.

QUETTA GLADIATORS:

Asad Shafiq b Irfan 8

Ahmed Shehzad c Shadab b Sami 59

K.P. Pietersen lbw b Shadab 69

R.R. Rossouw not out 9

Sarfraz Ahmed c Hussain b Rumman 3

Anwar Ali run out 2

N.L.T.C. Perera not out 0

EXTRAS (B-8, LB-2, W-4) 14

TOTAL (for five wkts, 20 overs) 164

FALL OF WKTS: 1-15, 2-149, 3-149, 4-159, 5-163.

DID NOT BAT: Mahmudullah, Mohammad Nawaz, Hassaan Khan, Zulfiqar Babar.

BOWLING: Mohammad Irfan 4-0-23-1 (1w); Badree 3-0-34-0; Rumman Raees Khan 4-0-26-1 (1w); Shadab Khan 4-0-28-1; Mohammad Sami 4-0-31-1; Watson 1-0-10-0.

RESULT: Islamabad United won by one run.

UMPIRES: Aleem Dar (Pakistan) and Ahsan Raza (Pakistan).

TV UMPIRE: Rashid Riaz (Pakistan).

MATCH REFEREE: Mohammad Anees (Pakistan).

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Mohammad Sami.

Published in Dawn, February 25th, 2017