Ben Cutting of Australia hit two successive sixes in the last over as Quetta Gladiators recorded a five-wicket victory against Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League on Thursday.
Cutting’s unbeaten 42 off just 17 balls carried Quetta to 190-5 in 19.4 overs to put the title defender on top of the points table with three victories from four games.
Click to Gallery
Ben Cutting of Australia hit two successive sixes in the last over as Quetta Gladiators recorded a five-wicket victory against Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League on Thursday.
Cutting had a lucky escape in the penultimate over when he was caught at deep square leg off a no-ball as left-arm seamer Rumman Raees had overstepped.
Naseem, who became the youngest fast bowler to record a hat trick in a test match at the same venue against Bangladesh earlier this month, claimed both wickets in his first two overs when he clean bowled Luke Ronchi (11) and Dawid Malan (10).
Ingram was also twice dropped before he completed his half century as Quetta conceded just 33 runs in the last five overs.
More AP sports: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Quetta Gladiators batsmen Ben Cutting, left, and Muhammad Nawaz, right, react after taking winning run during the Pakistan Super League T20 cricket match against Islamabad United at Rawalpindi Stadium, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020. (AP PhotoAnjum Naveed)
Islamabad United pacer Rumman Raees, front, reacts while umpire Ranmore Martinesz gives no-ball signal shot during the Pakistan Super League T20 cricket match against Quetta Gladiators at Rawalpindi Stadium, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020. (AP PhotoAnjum Naveed)
Islamabad United batsmen Colin Ingram, right, and Shadab Khan, center, take a run while Quetta Gladiators pacer Ben Cutting watches during their Pakistan Super League T20 cricket match at Rawalpindi stadium in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020. (AP PhotoAnjum Naveed)
Islamabad United batsman Colin Ingram, left, celebrates after completing his fifty during the Pakistan Super League T20 cricket match against Quetta Gladiators at Rawalpindi stadium in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020. (AP PhotoAnjum Naveed)
Islamabad United batsman Colin Ingram follows the ball after playing a shot during a Pakistan Super League T20 cricket match against Quetta Gladiators at Rawalpindi Stadium, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020. (AP PhotoAnjum Naveed)
Islamabad United batsman Shadab Khan plays a shot during a Pakistan Super League T20 cricket match against Quetta Gladiators at Rawalpindi Stadium, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020. (AP PhotoAnjum Naveed)
Quetta Gladiators pacer Naseem Shah, center, celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of Islamabad United batsman Luke Ronchi, right, during a Pakistan Super League T20 cricket match at Rawalpindi Stadium, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020. (AP PhotoAnjum Naveed)
Islamabad United batsman Luke Ronchi is bowled by Quetta Gladiators pacer Naseem Shah during a Pakistan Super League T20 cricket match at Rawalpindi Stadium, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020. (AP PhotoAnjum Naveed)
Quetta Gladiators pacer Naseem Shah bowls during a Pakistan Super League T20 cricket match against Islamabad United at Rawalpindi Stadium, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020. (AP PhotoAnjum Naveed)
Needing 11 runs off the last over, Cutting lofted fast bowler Amad Butt for two straight sixes to seal the victory with two balls to spare as Islamabad surprisingly didn’t use young fast bowler Mohammad Musa for the last over.
Quetta Gladiators batsman Ben Cutting plays a shot during the Pakistan Super League T20 cricket match against Islamabad United at Rawalpindi stadium in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020. (AP PhotoAnjum Naveed)
Cutting had a lucky escape in the penultimate over when he was caught at deep square leg off a no-ball as left-arm seamer Rumman Raees had overstepped.
It was Islamabad’s second defeat in the tournament after Quetta beat the two-time champion in the opening match in Karachi.
Quetta fast bowlers Naseem Shah (2-13) and Tymal Mills (2-34) earlier held Islamabad's total to 187-7 with Colin Ingram scoring an unbeaten 63 off 41 balls.
Quetta Gladiators batsman Jason Roy plays a shot during the Pakistan Super League T20 cricket match against Islamabad United at Rawalpindi stadium in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020. (AP PhotoAnjum Naveed)
Naseem, who became the youngest fast bowler to record a hat trick in a test match at the same venue against Bangladesh earlier this month, claimed both wickets in his first two overs when he clean bowled Luke Ronchi (11) and Dawid Malan (10).
Captain Shadab Khan (39) was twice let off the hook against fast bowler Mohammad Hasnain when Shane Watson missed a straightforward catch at midwicket and Azam Khan then dropped a sitter at point.
The fielding lapses allowed Shadab to add 76 runs with Ingram for the fourth-wicket stand before Naseem and Mills limited Islamabad in the final overs.
Islamabad United batsman Colin Ingram plays a shot during the Pakistan Super League T20 cricket match against Quetta Gladiators at Rawalpindi stadium in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020. (AP PhotoAnjum Naveed)
Ingram was also twice dropped before he completed his half century as Quetta conceded just 33 runs in the last five overs.
Watson’s struggle with the bat at the top order continued before the Australian holed out at deep mid-wicket for another disappointing knock of 9.
Jason Roy scored a 38-ball 50 and Sarfaraz made 33 but it was Cutting’s masterful knock in the end which carried Quetta home. Left-arm spinner Ahmed Safi Abdullah took 2-17 and Faheem Ashraf, who dismissed Watson early, was expensive with 2-46.
Islamabad United players Ahmed Safi Abdullah, left, and Shadab Khan, right, celebrate after the dismissal of Quetta Gladiators batsman Jason Roy during their Pakistan Super League T20 cricket match at Rawalpindi stadium in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020. (AP PhotoAnjum Naveed)
More AP sports: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Islamabad United spinner Shadab Khan, right, celebrates after the dismissal of Quetta Gladiators batsman Ahmed Shahzad during their Pakistan Super League T20 cricket match at Rawalpindi stadium in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020. (AP PhotoAnjum Naveed)
Quetta Gladiators batsmen Ben Cutting, left, and Muhammad Nawaz, right, react after taking winning run during the Pakistan Super League T20 cricket match against Islamabad United at Rawalpindi Stadium, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020. (AP PhotoAnjum Naveed)
Islamabad United pacer Rumman Raees, front, reacts while umpire Ranmore Martinesz gives no-ball signal shot during the Pakistan Super League T20 cricket match against Quetta Gladiators at Rawalpindi Stadium, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020. (AP PhotoAnjum Naveed)
Islamabad United batsmen Colin Ingram, right, and Shadab Khan, center, take a run while Quetta Gladiators pacer Ben Cutting watches during their Pakistan Super League T20 cricket match at Rawalpindi stadium in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020. (AP PhotoAnjum Naveed)
Islamabad United batsman Colin Ingram, left, celebrates after completing his fifty during the Pakistan Super League T20 cricket match against Quetta Gladiators at Rawalpindi stadium in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020. (AP PhotoAnjum Naveed)
Islamabad United batsman Colin Ingram follows the ball after playing a shot during a Pakistan Super League T20 cricket match against Quetta Gladiators at Rawalpindi Stadium, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020. (AP PhotoAnjum Naveed)
Islamabad United batsman Shadab Khan plays a shot during a Pakistan Super League T20 cricket match against Quetta Gladiators at Rawalpindi Stadium, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020. (AP PhotoAnjum Naveed)
Quetta Gladiators pacer Naseem Shah, center, celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of Islamabad United batsman Luke Ronchi, right, during a Pakistan Super League T20 cricket match at Rawalpindi Stadium, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020. (AP PhotoAnjum Naveed)
Islamabad United batsman Luke Ronchi is bowled by Quetta Gladiators pacer Naseem Shah during a Pakistan Super League T20 cricket match at Rawalpindi Stadium, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020. (AP PhotoAnjum Naveed)
Quetta Gladiators pacer Naseem Shah bowls during a Pakistan Super League T20 cricket match against Islamabad United at Rawalpindi Stadium, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020. (AP PhotoAnjum Naveed)