Sports Web Desk: Gladiators reach summit following Hasan Nawaz shines in dramatic victory against United
In a game that could have gone either way, United’s fielders dropped three catches in the last over for Gladiators to cross the line
A thrilling PSL 2025 match with drama of gargantuan proportions, in which both sides slipped, regained footing, and slipped again, had spectators at the edge of their seats before Quetta Gladiators kept calm and took a thrilling victory against Islamabad United, albeit assisted by three regulation dropped catches in the last over. Hasan Nawaz kept his composure and narrowly secured the win in a nail-biting finish.
Having opted to bowl first, Gladiators maintained a check on the runs and limited United to a middle-order 157 for 9. That being said, they let a comeback in the latter part of the innings after having them at 91 for 6 at the 13th over.
United, who made six changes to the side and, having lost three on the spin now, require just one victory to qualify for the playoffs, had a hero in Mohammad Nawaz, who contributed 49 to the scoreboard in a dazzling rearguard performance, enlivening the game in the process. And that gave United bowlers something to work with.
Gladiators began with a flier as Finn Allen thrashed a flurry of boundaries in the powerplay, but his zeal did not continue beyond 13 deliveries, getting defeated by the pace of Naseem Shah in the middle of a probing opening burst. Saud Shakeel began well too, but was soon dismissed when he cut one directly to point in the third over. That was when Rilee Rossouw brought fire before a muddle with Hasan in the tenth over had panic bells ringing inside the Gladiators camp and the pursuit began to fall apart.
The 52-run partnership left Gladiators in comfortable position, though briefly. Mark Chapman was removed on two, and United were getting confidence when the tension ran high in the field and there seemed to be a mad meltdown in the air.
Hasan, though, was a pain in their way as he displayed his temperament and range with an unbeaten 64 off 41 balls. He was not in a hurry and played intelligently, balancing aggression and quiet manipulation of the ball into the gaps, thus taking the game right to the wire with some capable support from Mohammad Wasim.
The game continued oscillating like a pendulum, but in the end, the lapses in the fielding during the last over, bowled by Muhammad Shahzad, swung the match in favour of Gladiators.
Hasan collected two lives on the first two balls, firstly shell-shocked by Shahzad off his own bowling and then Salman Irshad at short third. On the third ball, he smashed a six over long-off and there came another dropped opportunity as the keeper and deep third obstructed each other’s lines and spilled a skier even as the batsmen contributed another two runs.
Then, on the second-last delivery, Hasan sealed the game by hurling a six over backward square. With the victory, Gladiators pushed United off the points table top position and boosted their net run-rate, while United, after having rushed to five consecutive wins, have lost three in a row now.