LAHORE: Islamabad United’s all-rounder Salman Ali Agha remains hopeful about his team’s prospects of reaching the PSL 10 final, despite their 30-run loss to Quetta Gladiators in Qualifier 1.
United fell short in their chase of 210, getting bowled out for 179 in 19.4 overs, handing Quetta Gladiators their sixth consecutive victory and a place in the PSL final for the first time in six years. Islamabad United now have one final opportunity to reach the title match when they face the winner of the Eliminator—either Lahore Qalandars or
Karachi Kings— here on Friday (today) at Gaddafi Stadium. Addressing the media after the match, Salman Ali Agha underlined the significance of regrouping ahead of Qualifier 2, stating: “Whoever we face, we’ll try our best to win the match.”
Salman acknowledged bowling inconsistencies, saying, “There’s room for improvement in our bowling, especially in death overs, and we have to address that quickly.”
Highlighting the role of momentum in T20 cricket, Salman emphasized: “T20 is all about momentum—if you have it, things work in your favor. We need to do well in all aspects of the game to win a match.”
Salman also commended head coach Mike Hesson, recognizing his international experience. “Mike Hesson is a very good coach. He has created a positive atmosphere within the squad.”
Reflecting on their loss, Salman pinpointed key moments, including Quetta’s extra runs in the death overs and Islamabad’s early losses. “I think the wicket was good, but they [Quetta] scored an extra 10 to 20 runs. We gave away too many runs in the final overs and lost wickets at the wrong time—that’s where the match slipped from our hands.”
Shadab Khan says lapses in bowling and fielding cost Islamabad United
Islamabad United captain Shadab Khan termed the lapses in fielding and bowling as the key factors behind their 30-run defeat against Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 10 Qualifier 1 here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday.
Despite his batting unit’s failure to chase down the target in the high-stakes clash, Shadab argued that it did well, and instead it was their shortcomings in the bowling and fielding departments that dented the momentum.
Shadab Khan thus called for the execution of their bowling in the right areas before vowing to regain the momentum ahead of the must-win clash against either Lahore Qalandars or Karachi Kings, scheduled to be played on Friday. “The plans were good. If you take a team close to a total like 210, you know your batting unit has done well,” Shadab said.
“But we had a few lapses in bowling and fielding. You can’t afford to lose momentum in this game. Catches win matches, and that’s where the momentum shifted.
“We have to work on executing our bowling in the right areas. We’ll try to get the momentum back and fix the mistakes we made today. With the long and strong batting line-up we have, I don’t think 210 was impossible to chase.
