United vs Gladiators, 13th Match at Karachi, PSL 2023, Feb 24 2023 - Ball by Ball Commentary

11:01pm Right. That will be that from us for tonight. Hope you enjoyed our coverage as much as we enjoyed bringing it to. Until next time, this is me (Shashwat) signing off on behalf of Thilak and everyone else at ESPNcricinfo! Goodbye, goodnight and take care!

Shadab Khan, Islamabad United captain: The way Azam batted today, I have not seen an innings of this kind. We know this is his calibre and we believe he can do this consistently. We are very happy. He is the son of a former cricketer so he has to handle a lot of pressure. The way he is performing, despite the pressure, is a good sign for us. In T20, you have more bad days than good. We have created a team in such a way that we have maximum match-winners. We look at match-ups and data. We tried to test our players and that is why I won the toss and elected to bat. All of our bowlers bowled well in a game where almost 400 runs were scored. I give more importance to my gut feeling (than data), and always back it (my gut feeling).

Azam Khan is the Player of the Match, here is what he has to say: It can be one of my best T20 innings. Playing in the middle order, you do not get a lot of balls to set yourself. I had to go there and be positive today. I think it is all because of my dad. He has made me mentally tough. It is not easy being the son of a former cricketer in this country. I think he must be really happy but a bit sad as well because his team lost. When you are inside the rope, you can't play for the relation. I am sure he will be happy for me and good luck to them for the rest of the games. (On what he thinks makes him successful) I think it is all about the mindset and what I believe in. I usually go for range hitting and I can check my shots if they are clearing the boundary or not.

Sarfaraz Ahmed, Quetta Gladiators captain: I was not expecting the sort of innings Azam played. The way he played in the end was very outstanding. A lot of his sixes were off good balls and I can't praise him enough for it. We did not execute our plans in the last four overs. When you have such a big score in front of you, and when your top three batters get out, it becomes difficult. We have a 4-5 day gap and we will talk to the boys, field better, bowl well and bat a lot better.

Asif Ali: (On his partnership with Azam) I would like to congratulate everyone at Islamabad United for winning the game. We discussed about seeing what the ball was doing for an over or two and that we would back ourselves to hit the ball that were pitched in our areas. The idea is to go after the deliveries that land in our arc. Even if we mishit them, it is not a problem. This is my eighth season and our unity, even among those who are sitting outside, is beautiful. Those watching also laud our unity and it only happens when we are happy for one another and we back each other. I have played a lot under Shadab, and my best wishes are with him always.

10:39pm That turned into a one-sided contest in the end. The Gladiators were rocked early, with Guptill, Roy and Smeed all departing inside the powerplay. Hafeez threatened for a bit but the game slid further away from the Gladiators post his dismissal. Sarfaraz scored a few runs but his approach was quite puzzling, especially considering the required run-rate. Ifitikhar, too, struck a couple of lusty blows but it was too little, too late by then.

As for Islamabad, well, they would be happy with the way they bowled. Hasan was a touch expensive but ended up picking three wickets. The star of the bowling show, though, was Abrar, who gave away only 21 runs and dented the Gladiators inside the powerplay. Shadab also produced a double-wicket over in the 16th and bowled with good control on a flat track. The result means that the Gladiators are firmly rooted to the foot of the table; Islamabad, meanwhile, are now breathing down Multan's necks at the perch.

Aimal is the last man in

SalmanKhan: "If Iftikhar is Iftimania, what would Azam Khan be?" -- AzamMania has a nice ring to it,eh?

Shaheer : "Naseem has a strike rate of 600 against Farooqi, everyone would love to see that match-up here. " -- Not sure if Naseem can win the game for his team in the final over tonight, though

There is a chance that the PSL could be moved out of Lahore, with matches then taking place at Karachi. Here is all you need to know about the ongoing dispute between the PCB and the caretaker Punjab government, and the ramifications it could have on the PSL

Amit: "Any Cricketing explanation for Sarfaraz's innings? Not running hard, no intent to play shots? Injured or something?" -- He could not come to grips with the pace of the surface and his innings was perplexing, to say the least