Sharjah: Sharjeel Khan, who emerged as the man of the match in Islamabad United’s emphatic eight-wicket win over Lahore Qalandars, said he owes his success to playing in the UAE’s domestic cricket during the Pakistan off-season.

Sharjeel and Shane Watson had thrashed Lahore’s bowling attack to score 79 runs each and post a 153-run partnership in 13.4 overs. The pair were chasing Lahore’s impressive total of 166 for 6 in 20 overs.

“I have been playing in the UAE during the off-season and it has helped me know the conditions here well,” said Sharjeel, who once won a KIA Picanto Car playing for Phoenix Medicines - and emerged as the man of the series in the 2013 Superstars Twenty20 tournament organised by Dubai Cricket Council.

Watson and Sharjeel produced a shower of sixes, with both batsmen competing against each other at one stage at clobbering them high over the boundary. Sharjeel’s unbeaten 79 came off 43 balls with five fours and seven sixes, while Watson who fell for 79, played 47 balls and hit four boundaries and seven sixes. Each time after hitting a six, Watson was seen talking to Sharjeel with a smile.

When Gulf News asked Sharjeel about the conversation, he replied: “When the six did not go off from the middle of Watson’s bat he used to come and tell me and once when he got it in the middle he shared his happiness with me.”

One of Watson’s sixes off Zafar Gohar was so powerfully hit that it went out of the ground and into the crowded road behind the stadium.

Sharjeel too hit some effortlessly pulled sixes, and once even thumped a six flat over the covers. “Dubai pitch was slow but here the ball was coming onto the bat. Once I got set it was nice to bat,” said Sharjeel after guiding Islamabad to victory with 25 balls to spare.

Islamabad had won the toss and elected to field. Mohammad Sami bowled well to bowl opener Cameron Delport for 3. He also trapped skipper Azhar Ali leg before for 27. Naved Yasin and Umar Akmal put on 41 runs in 5.4 overs before Saeed Ajmal had Yasin caught behind for 25. Akmal too fell leg before to Imran Khalid for 23. Dwayne Bravo and Mohammad Rizwan got the best partnership of the innings, scoring 60 runs in 6.1 overs. Bravo got run out for 26 but Rizwan through an unbeaten 50 runs ensured Lahore reached the challenging total.

Brief scores:

Islamabad United but Lahore Qalandars by eight wickets. Lahore Qalandars 166 for 6 in 20 overs (Azhar Ali 27, Naved Yasin 25, Umar Akmal 23, Dwayne Bravo 26, Mohammad Rizwan 50n.o, Mohammad Sami 2 for 21 ) Islamabad United 169 for 2 in 15.5 overs (Shane Watson 79, Sharjeel Khan 79n.o, Ehsan Adil 2 for 41). Man of the match: Sharjeel Khan