RAWALPINDI: Islamabad United’s stand-in captain Salman Ali Agha on Wednesday, rued the growing rate of niggles among players as the key factor behind the shift in their momentum during the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 10.
The defending champions had a flying start to their campaign as they won five consecutive matches to occupy the top position in the standings.
During their winning run, the three-time champions continued to shuffle their lineup in a bid to test their bench strength.
After winning five consecutive matches, the United are now on a four-match losing streak, including their crushing 109-run defeat against Quetta Gladiators here on Wednesday.
United’s stand-in captain Agha has now clarified that the changes are made due to the players dealing with niggles.
“Once again, our changes were mainly due to players dealing with niggles, and I believe that’s where we lost momentum. T20 cricket is all about momentum, and we just need to identify what’s going wrong,” Agha said.
“It’s important for us to quickly move past this game because we have another match coming up in two days. We are definitely missing Shadab, and hopefully he will be available for the next game,” he added.
Salman Ali Agha also justified his decision to bowl first on a batting-friendly surface, stating that his team prefer chasing.
“We generally prefer chasing, especially on a good wicket, but they outplayed us tonight.”
His decision to put Gladiators into bat first backfired as the 2019 champions registered the highest-ever total in the PSL history by accumulating 263/3 in 20 overs.
Leading the way for the Gladiators were Rilee Rossouw and Hasan Nawaz, who both scored swashbuckling centuries, setting a unique record in the history of the marquee league.
In response, the United’s batting unit unfolded on a meagre 154 in 19.3 overs despite a valiant half-century from all-rounder Imad Wasim, who came out to bat at number nine.
The United, third in the table with 10 points in nine matches, now need to win their last league-stage fixture against Karachi Kings, scheduled to be played on Saturday, to qualify for the playoffs.
