KARACHI: Rawalpindiz finally broke their winless streak in the HBL Pakistan Super League with a composed six-wicket victory over Islamabad United in the twin-city derby at the National Bank Stadium on Thursday, a result that had more emotional than tournament significance. Coming into the contest with eight defeats in as many matches, Rawalpindiz produced a disciplined all-round performance to chase down a modest 138-run target with 11 balls to spare, handing their supporters a long-awaited moment of relief. Earlier, after opting to field first on a sluggish surface, Rawalpindiz’s bowlers justified their captain Mohammad Rizwan’s decision by restricting United to 137.
The pitch, offering variable bounce and grip, made stroke-making difficult, and the bowling unit exploited the conditions expertly. Spin proved particularly effective, with Asif Afridi and Saad Masood maintaining tight lines to choke the middle overs. Saad picked up two crucial wickets with his zippy leg spin, including that of Shadab, while Asif’s slow left-armers accounted for an economical spell, tightening the screws further.
United never quite found momentum. Opener Devon Conway anchored the innings with a measured 40 off 33 balls, but wickets at regular intervals stalled progress. Sameer Minhas, who had starred in the previous meeting, fell cheaply, while Shadab Khan’s milestone 100th PSL appearance ended in disappointment with a first-ball dismissal.
Chasing a below-par total, Rawalpindiz were jolted early when Abdullah Fazal fell to the first ball of the innings. However, Rizwan and Kamran Ghulam steadied the innings with a crucial 78-run partnership that effectively set up the chase. United slipped to 79 for five by the 12th over, and despite a late flourish from Chris Green — whose brisk 29 off 16 balls lifted the total — the innings lacked the impetus needed on a challenging surface.
Mohammad Amir was instrumental with two wickets, using slower deliveries effectively, while Naseem Shah marked his return from injury with a tidy spell before leaving the field again due to a knee concern. Rizwan, despite appearing to struggle with a hamstring niggle, played a controlled knock of 45 off 38 deliveries, striking five boundaries and a six. Kamran ably partnered him with a fluent 42 off 30 balls, mixing caution with aggression to keep the required rate in check.
At 84 for one after 10 overs, Rawalpindiz looked in complete control before United clawed their way back through their captain Shadab. He dismissed Rizwan and effected a sharp run-out of Sam Billings, briefly reviving hopes of an unlikely defence. The pressure mounted as the scoring rate crept up, but Daryl Mitchell ensured there would be no late collapse.
The New Zealander’s unbeaten 32 proved decisive, particularly his assault on Richard Gleeson in the 17th over, which yielded 17 runs and swung the contest firmly in Rawalpindiz’s favour. Mitchell found support in Dian Forrester, who finished unbeaten on 13 and struck the winning boundary, sealing a comfortable victory with 11 balls to spare. For United, the defeat highlighted familiar issues while batting first this season, as their inability to accelerate on slow surfaces once again proved costly.
Shadab’s figures of one for 18 and a spirited middle-overs fightback were among the few positives. For Rawalpindiz, however, the result carried significance beyond the points table. Though already out of playoff contention, they not only secured their first win of the campaign but also reclaimed bragging rights in the twin-city rivalry.
As Rizwan later reflected, the victory was “for the fans who kept believing,” a sentiment that resonated on an afternoon where perseverance finally met reward. Scoreboard ISLAMABAD UNITED:Devon Conway c Abdullah b Mitchell 40Sameer Minhas c Abdullah b Amir 6Mohammad Faiq c Amir b Naseem 5Shadab Khan c Forrester b Saad 1Mark Chapman lbw b Asif 23Haider Ali c Abdullah b Saad 6Faheem Ashraf c Rizwan b Amir 11Chris Green run out 29Imad Wasim not out 8Mohammad Hasnain c Billings b Forrester 0Richard Gleeson lbw b Forrester 0 EXTRAS (B-2, LB-1, NB-1, W-4) 8TOTAL (all out, 20 overs) 137FALL OF WICKETS: 1-20 (Sameer), 2-29 (Faiq), 3-30 (Shadab), 4-79 (Conway), 5-79 (Chapman), 6-93 (Haider), 7-99 (Faheem), 8-137 (Green), 9-137 (Hasnain)BOWLING: Asif 4-0-17-1, McConchie 3-0-26-0 (2w), Naseem 2-0-9-1, Amir 4-0-21-2 (1w), Saad 4-0-27-2, Mitchell 2-0-25-1 (1w), Forrester 1-0-9-2 (1nb) RAWALPINDIZ:Abdullah Fazal c Green b Imad 0Mohammad Rizwan c Gleeson b Shadab 45Kamran Ghulam c Sameer b Green 42Daryl Mitchell not out 32Sam Billings run out 2Dian Forrester not out 13 EXTRAS (LB-2, NB-1, W-3) 6TOTAL (for four wickets, 18.1 overs) 140DID NOT BAT: Saad Masood, Cole McConchie, Naseem Shah, Asif Afridi, Mohammad AmirFALL OF WICKETS: 1-0 (Abdullah), 2-78 (Kamran), 3-92 (Rizwan), 4-99 (Billings)BOWLING: Imad 4-0-33-1, Gleeson 3-0-28-0 (2w), Hasnain 1.1-0-13-0, Faheem 1-0-11-0, Shadab 4-0-18-1, Chris 4-0-26-1, Sameer 1-