By Ehsan Qureshi
(Pakistan News & Features Services)
Earlier, the Kiwi pair of Devon Conway and Mark Chapman added 49 runs for the fourth wicket after Islamabad United had slumped to 30 for three at the start of the seventh over.
After having endured eight defeats on a trot, debutants Rawalpindiz finally registered their maiden win, overcoming former champions Islamabad United by six wickets in the 11th edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) on April 23.
In what turned out to be a lacklustre and low-scoring encounter at the National Stadium, Karachi, skipper Mohammad Rizwan led the successful run-chase for Rawalpindiz with 45 while Kamran Ghulam and Daryl Mitchell sustained the momentum with their knocks of 42 and 35 respectively.
The enterprising Mitchell remained unbeaten on 32 off 25 balls, hitting two fours and a six. It was Dian Forrester, however, who struck Mohammad Hasnain for the winning boundary, finishing 13 not out.
Captain Rizwan’s 45 came off 38 balls and it included five fours and a six, while Kamran Ghulam’s 42 off 31 balls contained five fours and a six. The pair, in control of the proceedings, added 78 runs in 56 balls for the second wicket after Abdullah Fazal was dismissed for a first-ball duck.
Opener Sameer Minhas fell for six, while Muhammad Faiq (5) and Shadab Khan (1) followed in quick succession. Conway top-scored with 40 off 33 balls, including three fours and two sixes, while Chapman made 23 off 18 balls with a four and a six.
The decision of the Rawalpindiz captain, Rizwan, to insert the opponents into bat, after calling correctly, paid rich dividends as his bowlers kept chipping in with wickets regularly to prevent the Islamabad United batsmen from freeing their arms.
Mohammad Amir, Saad Masood and Dian Forrester chipped in with two wickets each while Naseem Shah, Darryl Mitchell and Asif Afridi were also among the wicket-takers to send the Islamabad United outfit tumbling to 137 all out on the last ball of their innings.
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