Islamabad win Pakistan Super League 9 trophy after last ball thriller against Multan
- 19 Mar 2024
Islamabad United won the Pakistan Super League (PSL) after beating Multan Sultans with a last-ball boundary in a thrilling final at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi on Monday night.
Tailender Hunain Shah came in to face the final ball after the dismissal of Naseem Shah and steered fast bowler Mohammad Ali’s delivery through point to finish the nailbiter.
Multan was restricted to 159-9 on a spinners’ paradise after Islamabad allrounder Imad Wasim grabbed 5-23 and captain Shadab Khan picked up 3-32.
Wasim, who registered a historic five-wicket haul in the first innings, was adjudged player of the match as Islamabad lifted the trophy after winning the first final they made since 2018.
Sultans won the toss and elected to bat first. The first over, bowled by Naseem, saw drama unfold as Salman Ali Agha caught Mohammad Rizwan on the fourth ball, only for the umpire to signal a no-ball as Naseem overstepped.
Wasim struck on the third ball of the next over to remove Yasir Khan, who was caught by Tymal Mills. David Willey, batting at three, hit Imad for a six on the fifth delivery. On the very next ball, Willey’s stumps were shattered as the second wicket fell for Multan.
The fifth over, bowled by Hunain Shah, was capitalized by Rizwan and Usman Khan as both hit two boundaries each to snatch 17 from the over. At the end of the powerplay, Multan stood at 48-2. The 53-run third-wicket stand between Rizwan and Usman was broken in the 10th over as Shadab removed his counterpart for run-a-ball 26.
In the next over, Usman smashed a four and a six to keep the score flowing. Imad, returning to the attack, got his third wicket when Johnson Charles (4, 6b) was caught by Naseem at short fine.
In the 15th over, Usman brought up his second half-century of the tournament. In the same over, Usman and Khushdil Shah hit a boundary each as Multan got to 114-4 with five overs left.
Shadab removed Usman (57, 40b, 7x4s, 1×6) on the first ball of the next over. Usama Mir, the next batter in, smashed a maximum on his first ball. The Islamabad skipper avenged himself on the subsequent delivery, as Hunain pouched an important catch to dismiss Usama (6, 2b, 1×6).
The 17th over, bowled by Imad, saw three wickets at the expense of just three runs, paralyzing Multan’s innings. Khushdil (11, 13b, 1×4) and Chris Jordan (0, 1b) were removed on consecutive deliveries as Imad completed a five-wicket haul, becoming the first bowler to do so across nine edition finals.
Abbas Afridi was run out on the final ball of the same over, as Multan were reduced to 127-9 after losing five wickets for just 13 runs over the course of two overs.
With only two overs remaining, Iftikhar stepped on the gas pedal. He smashed two sixes against Mills in the penultimate over. Then, facing Naseem in the final over, he produced two boundaries and one six to help Multan finish at a competitive total of 159-9.
Imad was the pick of the bowlers, getting a five-fer. Shadab bagged three wickets.
In pursuit of 160-run target, Islamabad United started on a 26-run opening partnership between Colin Munro and Martin Guptill, until Khushdil removed the former for 17 on 13, with four boundaries, in the fourth over.
In the final over of the powerplay, Khushdil completed a successful return catch to send Salman (10, 11b, 2x4s) back to the pavilion as Islamabad finished six overs at 46-2.
Shortly after, Shadab (4, 8b) failed to execute a sweep shot as Iftikhar disturbed the stumps to bring Islamabad three down, with 58 on the board, after nine overs.
Agencies