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Quetta Gladiaotors and Islamabad United are set to cross swords in Match No. 10 of the 2022 Pakistan Super League (PSL) on Thursday, February 3. The National Stadium in Karachi will host the contest.
Islamabad United, captained by Shadab Khan, have been a brute force, especially in their batting department. After beating the Peshawar Zalmi by nine wickets in their opening game, they lost to Mohammad Rizwan's Multan Sultans by 20 runs on Tuesday, February 1.
After opting to field first, United strained as the Sultans amassed a colossal score of 217 for five on the board. Shan Masood started the carnage with a 31-ball 43, but it was Rilee Rossouw's unbeaten 67 and Tim David's 71 that guided the Sultans to the mammoth score.
David and Rossouw also stitched together a vital 110-run stand for the fourth wicket off 8.2 overs. Hasan Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jr. and Marchant de Lange picked up one wicket apiece for the Sultans. In the run-chase, United kept losing wickets at regular intervals.
But their skipper Shadab Khan didn't throw in the towel at any stage of the game. The 23-year-old played a captain's knock as he scored a 42-ball 91 with five fours and nine sixes. When he got out in the penultimate over, United ran out of steam.
The Gladiators, led by Sarfaraz Ahmed, have looked a tad rusty in the tournament, having lost two out of three matches. On January 31, the Sultans slapped them with a six-run loss. After opting to bowl first, their bowlers did a reasonable job as the Sultans scored 174.
Mohammad Hasnain was the pick of the bowlers, with two wickets for 27 runs. The Gladiators threatened to take the game away in their run-chase, but the Sultans kept chipping in with crucial wickets.
Iftikhar Ahmed scored 30 off 13 and got the Gladiators closer to victory, but David Willey's brilliance in the 20th over guided the Sultans to a win.
Will the Gladiators (QUE) beat the United (ISL)?
United need to work on their bowling attack, but their batting seems like a strong unit. Gladiators' bowlers can't afford to drop their guard by any stretch of the imagination. Sarfaraz and Co. need to tighten their batting a wee bit. United will go into the next match as firm favorites.
Prediction: Islamabad United to win the match.
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