PSL 2018, Match 18 Review: Ronchi fires Islamabad United to a staggering victory

Kiwi batsman Luke Ronchi once again showcased his power-hitting skills, strengthening Islamabad United’s position on the table. He absolutely blasted the Qalandars away, who managed to post a decent target on the board. But Ronchi’s exploits made that target look a paltry one, which helped them register their 4th win of the season.

The Qalandars have lost all their games thus far in the tournament. Hoping for a change in fortunes and momentum, they altered the top order a bit. Fakhar Zaman and Anton Devcich opened the innings for them and gave their side a power-packed start. They added 56 runs for the first wicket, with Zaman going all guns blazing. He blasted a 24-ball 43, which included 2 fours and 2 sixes.

After playing the second-fiddle with Zaman, Devcich took the onus upon himself in the next few overs accumulated some crucial runs. He added 45 runs for the second wicket Agha Salman, with the latter scoring just 8 runs in the partnership. The innings slightly lost its track when Salman was dismissed and Dinesh Ramdin came in.

Ramdin, who has been out of the game for a long time, looked very rusty. He played a 20-ball 9 runs knock, which sent all the momentum from one dressing room to the other. Devcich and Ramdin fell in a span 2 balls, pushing their side into further trouble. But skipper Brendon McCullum walked in at number 5 and played the finisher’s role to perfection.

His 12-ball 33 helped the Qalandars post 163 runs for the loss of 8 wickets. A lot of credit goes to Faheem Ashraf, who stemmed the run flow in the middle overs and returned with impressive figures of 3/32. Shadab Khan too bowled excellently, giving away just 15 runs in 4 overs and picked up a wicket.

Ronchi goes bonkers; Qalandars lose six in six

Two very experienced campaigners in Luke Ronchi and JP Duminy opened the innings for Islamabad United. Whilst Duminy played the supporting role in this partnership, there was no one stopping the flames emerging out of Ronchi’s willow. Barring the two experienced spinners Sunil Narine and Yasir Shah, all the other bowlers were taken for a lot of runs.

Duminy and Ronchi added 47 runs for the first wicket in no time, before the South African was dismissed. 19-year-old Shadab Khan walked in at number 3, much to the surprise of everyone in the stadium and those watching on TV. He played an absolute gem of a knock, which killed Lahore brutally and made the game a one-sided affair.

Ronchi got to his fifty off 22 balls, equalling the record fastest fifty for this season. He got there with a big six over long-off and Shadab Khan was not backing away in attempting the big shots. The duo added 87 runs in just 44 balls and when Shadab was dismissed for a well-made 32 off 24 balls, the scoreboard read 134/2 in 11.5 overs.

The game from here was a mere formality to complete despite Ronchi getting dismissed just a few runs before the completion of the game. Ronchi scored a thunderous 77 off 41 balls, which included 5 fours and 6 sixes. Sunil Narine‘s impressive figures of 3/28 went in vain and Islamabad registered a six-wicket win. Lahore also became the first team to lose 8 consecutive games in PSL history.

Brief Scores

Lahore Qalandars: 163/8 in 20 overs (Anton Devcich 62. Fakhar Zaman 34; Faheem Ashraf 3/32)

Islamabad United: 164/4 in 17.4 overs (Luke Ronchi 77, Shadab Khan 32; Sunil Narine 3/28)

Player of the match: Luke Ronchi