Pietersen stars in Quetta Gladiators’ five-wicket win over Islamabad United

Kevin Pietersen’s crucial 34-ball 48 helped Quetta Gladiators chase down the modest 135run target set by Islamabad United in the ninth fixture of the Pakistan Super League 2018 at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Wednesday. The Gladiators won the toss and elected to bowl first against Islamabad United, who saw their captain Misbah ul Haq return to the starting line-up after missing the start of the tournament due to a hamstring injury. Luke Ronchi and Chadwick Walton opened the batting for United, whereas Anwar Ali and Rahat Ali shared the new ball for the Gladiators. United were dealt the first blow in the third over when Anwar trapped Walton in front of the wickets before his bowling partner removed Asif Ali with a peach of a ball that evoked memories of the great Wasim Akram disturbing Rahul Dravid’s stumps all those years ago. With just 28 runs after 5 overs, Islamabad’s Ronchi took it upon himself to accelerate the scoring, plundering John Hastings for 24 runs in his opening over, which could have shifted the momentum towards his side.