KARACHI: Islamabad United, power-driven by Cameron Delport’s dazzling century, put up a record-breaking batting performance in the HBL Pakistan Super League history here on Saturday before qualifying for the Eliminator 1 playoff with a 49-run rout of Lahore Qalandars.

The electrifying atmosphere at the National Stadium in this first of eight fixtures to be played in the sprawling city of lights in this edition was probably the inspiration United needed to overcome uncertainty which surrounded their haphazard run of play during the UAE leg of the competition where they lost five of nine matches.

The vociferous and colourful turnout, the numbers roughly between 15,000 and 18,000, in the revamped stadium with a capacity of approximately 32,000 got their money’s worth as Delport and company belted the Qalandars bowling to all parts of the ground.

The title-holders joined Quetta Gladiators and Peshawar Zalmi in the last-four phase of the competition after posting a mammoth 238-3 with Delport smashing an undefeated 117 from 60 balls, bludgeoning 13 fours and six sixes.

The 29-year-old left-hander from Durban was not alone in the bombardment of the hapless Qalandars’ bowlers as Chadwick Walton thrashed four sixes and two fours in a 30-ball 48 while putting on 118 in 67 deliveries for the second wicket.

Asif Ali put on the icing on United’s cake with a remarkable 21-ball from 55, in an unbroken partnership of 88 with man-of-the-match.

The total was a NSK T20 record, eclipsing Lahore Lions’ 234-4 versus Islamabad Leopards in Feb 2006 — after Fakhar Zaman chose to bowl first. The lightning fast outfield was a big factor as the rampaging United batsmen collectively struck 20 boundaries apart from sending the white Kookaburra-brand balls over the fence 16 times.

The Qalandars managed to reach 189-9 because of Sohail Akhtar’s belligerent 75 off 34 balls (eight fours and five sixes) after Fakhar had been dismissed for a 20-ball 38 (four fours and three sixes) by his Pakistan team-mate Faheem Ashraf who recorded his best-ever T20 figures of 6-19.

Scoreboard

ISLAMABAD UNITED:

L. Ronchi c H. Sohail b Shaheen 0
C.S. Delport not out 117
P.D. Salt c H. Sohail b Lamichhane 9
C.A.K. Walton b Wiese 48
Asif Ali not out 55

EXTRAS (B-1, LB-5, W-3) 9
TOTAL (for three wkts, 20 overs) 238
FALL OF WKTS: 1-0, 2-32, 3-150.
DID NOT BAT: Hussain Talat, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Sami, Rumman Raees Khan, Mohammad Musa Khan.
BOWLING: Shaheen Shah Afridi 4-0-62-1; Rahat Ali 2-0-26-0; Sandeep Lamichhane 4-0-46-1; Agha Salman 2-0-14-0; Wiese 4-0-44-1 (2w); Haris Rauf 4-0-42-0 (1w).

LAHORE QALANDARS:

Fakhar Zaman c Salt b Faheem38
A.P. Devcich c Walton b Faheem 18
M.H. Wessels b Shahab 20
Haris Sohail c Asif b Faheem 0
Sohail Akhtar c Shadab b Faheem 75
D. Wiese c Sami b Rumman 12
Agha Salman c Shadab b Faheem 3
Shaheen Shah Afridi b Faheem 1
Haris Rauf run out 7
S. Lamichhane not out 6
Rahat Ali not out 1

EXTRAS (B-1, LB-2, W-3, NB-2)8
TOTAL (for nine wkts, 20 overs)189
FALL OF WKTS: 1-51, 2-70, 3-70, 4-79, 5-133, 6-145, 7-175, 8-175, 9-184.
BOWLING: Mohammad Sami 4-0-34-0; Mohammad Musa Khan 3-0-47-0; Rumman Raees Khan 4-0-45-1 (2nb, 2w); Faheem Ashraf 4-0-19-6; Shadab Khan 4-0-37-1 (1w); Hussain Talat 1-0-5-0.

RESULT: Islamabad United won by 49 runs.
UMPIRES: M.A. Gough (England) and Shozab Raza (Pakistan).
TV UMPIRE: Rashid Riaz (Pakistan).
MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Cameron Delport.

Published in Dawn, March 10th, 2019