Islamabad United second to seal playoffs spot.

LAHORE -- Faheem Ashraf smashed three consecutive boundaries in the final over of the match to help Islamabad United complete a nervy chase of the 180-run target against Quetta Gladiators and also a spot in the playoffs.

Colin Munro's blazing half-century had put Islamabad United into a commanding position by the end of the Powerplay, before a spectacular middle-order collapse threatened to derail the home side's chase but Azam Khan and Faheem's calm contributions ensured they achieved their fifth win of the season.

Quetta Gladiators were condemned to a horrible start to their innings after being put into bat first by Shadab Khan. The wickets kept tumbling for the visitors as they were reduced to 17-4 in the sixth over with Fazalhaq Farooqi's nippy swing and accurate lines accounting for two scalps in the initial burst.

The pair of Najibullah Zadran (59 off 34) and M Nawaz (52 off 44) added 104 runs off 64 balls for the fifth wicket, reviving Quetta Gladiators' innings. Najibullah was the aggressor of the two as he reached his fifty off 28 balls and smoked a total of five fours and three sixes in his brilliant knock. Nawaz's dismissal in the 17th over off Fazalhaq brought Umar Akmal to the crease, who slammed a quick-fire 43 not out off just 14 balls to propel Quetta Gladiators' score to 179-6. Umar batted with an explosive strike-rate of 307.14 and walloped five maximums and two fours in his breezy knock.

In reply, Naseem Shah struck early to remove Rahmanullah Gurbaz for a duck but Alex Hales and Munro launched a breathtaking counterattack to rack up 51 runs in the first four overs. Hales was soon dismissed for 12 off 9 by Naveen-ul-Haq when he tried to force a slower delivery through cover but directed it straight to Najibullah. Munro continued his charge on the other end...