Shadab Khan vows to ‘come back stronger’ in next PSL edition

LAHORE: Islamabad United captain Shadab Khan has set his sights on making a strong comeback in the next season following their exit from the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 10 after a defeat against Lahore Qalandars here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Friday.

Opting to bat first, the Qalandars piled up a massive total of 202/8 in their allotted 20 overs, courtesy of rampant half-centuries from Mohammad Naeem and Kusal Perera.

Perera remained the top-scorer for the home side with a 35-ball 61, while Naeem made 50 off 25 deliveries.

Chasing a daunting 203-run target, the United’s batting unit unfolded on a meagre 107 and thus succumbed to a campaign-ending defeat.

Middle-order batter Salman Ali Agha top-scored for the three-time champions with a 26-ball 33, followed by skipper Shadab Khan, who made 26 off 14 deliveries, while the rest of their batters failed to amass double figures.

Reflecting on the gruelling defeat, Shadab acknowledged United’s failure in certain departments throughout the tournament, including their inability to take wickets at crucial stages and utilisation of the batting powerplay.

"I think we struggled with a few things throughout the tournament,” Shadab said.

“We didn’t get wickets at crucial moments, and they took full advantage of the powerplay—especially Naeem, who batted really well. Our death bowling hasn’t been up to the mark either,” he added.

Shadab also explained the promotion of youngster Muhammad Shahzad to open was due to the absence of Alex Hales, who played a match-winning knock in their last league-stage match against Karachi Kings.

“With Alex not available today, we sent Shahzad to open. He has played most of his white-ball cricket as an opener, but unfortunately, it didn’t work out this time,” said Shadab.

“That said, the pitches have been good—it ultimately comes down to execution and skill.”

Shadab Khan then went on to highlight Sahibzada Farhan’s consistent performances as a real positive for the three-time champions in the ‘competitive’ PSL 10 before vowing to reflect, learn and make a strong comeback in the next season.

This has been a very competitive tournament. Sahibzada’s performances have been a real positive. As a team, we failed to handle key moments well, but we’ll reflect, learn, and hopefully come back stronger in the next edition."