Islamabad United claim PSL title after eventful last-ball thriller
Hunain Shah showed great composure and held his nerves to find the gap and hit a four to seal the win for Islamabad United.
20-year-old Hunain Shah held his nerves to help Islamabad United clinch the Pakistan Super League 2024 title with a win in the last-ball thriller against Multan Sultans at the National Stadium, Karachi.
Islamabad needed 8 runs to win the title in the last over as Mohammad Rizwan picked Mohammad Ali to get the job done for Multan but he failed to do so.
With one run required off the final ball, rookie Hunain was facing his first ball of the match and he showed great composure and held his nerves to find the gap and hit a four to seal the win for Islamabad.
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The boundary ended Islamabad's wait for their third PSL title as the last time was in 2018 when they won their second trophy. Hunain was in tears after guiding his team to glory as the players hugged him.
Earlier, all-rounder Imad Wasim set the foundation for the win with a five-wicket haul after Multan Sultans elected to bat first in Karachi. The left-arm spinner led the bowling attack and returned with the figures of 5 for 23 as Multan posted 159/9.
Martin Guptill scored a fifty as Islamabad started strong in the chase but they stumbled in the middle, then got a great finish from Wasim, 19 not out, and Naseem, 17. Islamabad reached 163-8 to add to its titles in 2016 and 2018.
"To pick a five-for in a final and to stay in (batting) during a crucial game, it was a new experience," Wasim said. "We should have finished the game earlier rather than taking it down to the wire. I'm glad Hunain finished it."
All-rounder Imad Wasim grabbed the eyeballs during the Pakistan Super League 2024 final between Multan Sultans and Islamabad United on Sunday. Wasim was named Player of the Match for his all-round show to lead Islamabad to title glory but it was a different reason he became the talk of the town.
The star all-rounder was spotted smoking a cigarette in the dressing room during the match. After finishing his brilliant spell, Imad returned to the dressing room to take some rest as the camera caught him smoking during the 18th over of the match.
The visuals of the incident went viral on social media as the Isalamad United star faced the scrutiny.
