Rawalpindi : Former champions Islamabad United Sunday inflected a three-wicket defeat on table-toppers Multan Sultans to qualify for the playoffs in the 27th match of the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) season nine at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. The breathtaking encounter went to the last ball where Islamabad's Imad Wasim guided his side to a crucial win. Islamabad joined Multan Sultans and Peshawar Zalmi in the PSL 9 playoffs as there is just one place left with two teams, Karachi Kings and Quetta Gladiators, competing for it.

 Chasing the target of 229 runs, Islamabad met with early blows as two of their top-order batters, Alex Hales and Salman Ali Agha, lost their wickets within the first two overs. However, after losing two early wickets, United’s skipper Shadab Khan came to bat and formed a 141-run partnership that not only brought Islamabad back into the game but put them in the driving seat.

Shadab scored 54 off 31 before departing for the pavilion, leaving his side 145-3 in 12.2 overs but Colin Munro continued the charge against the opponents. Munro became Chris Jordan’s victim after posting 84 runs on just 40 balls courtesy of nine fours and five sixes. Following the left-handed batter’s dismissal, destructive batter Azam Khan came to bat but returned to the pavilion without scoring a single run, increasing Islamabad’s worries. However, Haider Ali (19) and Faheem Ashraf (23) provided crucial runs down the order after which Imad Wasim took his team over the line with his batting in the last over. Batting first, Multan’s Usman Khan wrote history as he became just the first player to score two centuries in a single PSL edition. The right-handed batter scored 100 off 50 balls with a whopping 15 fours and three sixes, completing his innings at an astounding 200 strike rate. The Karachi-born has three centuries in just 14 PSL innings overall, which is the joint-most alongside former Peshawar Zalmi star Kamran Akmal who notched up as many centuries in 74 innings. The 28-year-old also holds the record for the fastest century in the league when he smashed a 36-ball ton against Quetta Gladiators in PSL 8. Batting first, the Sultans didn’t have the greatest start as they just managed to score 58 runs in the powerplay on the loss of two wickets. However, as soon as Mohammad Rizwan departed, Usman and Johnson Charles started to attack Islamabad bowlers and built a formidable 86-run partnership in just 50 balls. Charles departed after scoring a quick 18-ball 42 with six boundaries, leaving his side at 144/3 in 13.2 overs. Soon after his dismissal, Iftikhar Ahmed came to bat but the 33-year-old couldn’t provide much and lost his wicket to Naseem Shah just after contributing 13 runs. However, despite losing two wickets, Usman continued with his attacking prowess and took Multan to a 228-run total.

Published in The Daily National Courier, March, 11 2024

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