Islamabad United win their 3rd PSL trophy after Hunain Shah's final-ball boundary
The ninth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) final went down to the wire as Islamabad United clinched a nail-biter at the National Stadium in Karachi against Multan Sultans on Monday. Hunain Shah smacked the last-ball boundary to win it for the United, who walked off with their third PSL trophy.
While Multan Sultans remained unchanged, Islamabad made one change, bringing in Colin Munro for Alex Hales. Sultans' scorecard wasn't the greatest to look on as only four batters managed to reach double-figures, underpinned by Usman Khan's 57 off 40 deliveries. Towards the end, Iftikhar Ahmed's 20-ball 32 with three fours and as many sixes propelled their side to a competitive 159.
Nevertheless, Imad Wasim proved to be the star for the United, picking up astonishing figures of 4-0-23-5, while the skipper snared three scalps.
Martin Guptill keeps Islamabad United on course for third PSL title
Two-time champions Islamabad made a promising start to their run-chase, but kept losing wickets at fairly regular intervals. Martin Guptill made a 32-ball 50 before being run out, but things became tricky at 129-7 when Faheem Ashraf fell cheaply for a single.
Naseem Shah and Imad Wasim ran their side agonizingly close before Mohammad Ali removed the former when the United required a single off the final ball. However, Hunain Shah had nerves of steel, elegantly driving the ball between short third and backward point to finish off the match.
Winning captain Shadab Khan expressed his gratitude to the owners for keeping their faith in him despite shaky results initially. He said the post-match presentation:
"Watching the match is tough for me. In the middle I don't feel pressure, but watching it from outside is tough. I make life difficult for people next to me as well, so I don't sit with batters who are supposed to walk in next. Special mention to the owners who have backed me. I was captain for five years and we didn't reach final, but they backed me. Lot
Islamabad United skipper Shadab Khan also won the Player of the Tournament award for his 305 runs and 14 scalps.