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Islamabad United vs Peshawar Zalmi, Pakistan Super League final, latest update: Wahab’s brought back in the 17th over, which is a mere formality, and the pacer gets to do the moustache-stroking celebration one last time in the tournament by castling Talat with a full-toss off the first delivery. Faheem Ashraf walks out to bat, and hits the winning six off the fourth delivery that he faces, hooking it over the square-leg fence. Islamabad United beat Peshawar United by three wickets, and lift the PSL trophy for the second time. Preview: Pakistan’s biggest city will stage a high-profile cricket match for the first time in nine years on Sunday. The Pakistan Super League final will be held amid heavy security at a newly renovated National Stadium in Karachi. More than 8,000 security personnel have been deployed for the Twenty20 final between Islamabad United and last year’s champions, Peshawar Zalmi. Presidential-like security has been put in place on routes from the hotel to the stadium. For practice on Saturday, the team vans were surrounded by a fleet of security vehicles carrying armed guards. [caption id=“attachment_4405067” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]
Peshawar Zalmi skipper Darren Sammy and Islamabad United stand-in skipper JP Duminy.[/caption] “It’s been really good. All the logistical works have been done behind the scenes, and we’ve been brought here pretty safely,” Islamabad United stand-in captain JP Duminy said. “It’s obviously going to be an exciting occasion to be part of PSL final and more specifically being in Karachi.” Islamabad United’s regular captain, Misbah-ul-Haq, has not fully recovered from a hand injury. The last major game with international players in Karachi was in February 2009, a Pakistan-Sri Lanka test. On the same tour, terrorists attacked the Sri Lanka team convoy at Lahore that March. Six Pakistan policemen and two civilians were killed, and six members of the Sri Lanka team were injured. That resulted in an end to international cricket in the country, and the Pakistan Cricket Board moved its home matches to the United Arab Emirates. The PCB has gradually convinced international players to return, and Lahore hosted the first PSL final last year, and there were Twenty20s organized against a World XI (three matches) and Sri Lanka (one). A reluctance from some international PSL players to play in Pakistan remains. The preliminary matches were played at Dubai and Sharjah in the UAE. Australian Shane Watson (Quetta Gladiators) and Englishmen Eoin Morgan (Karachi) and Kevin Pietersen (Quetta) refused to accompany their teams to Lahore this week for two PSL eliminators. The absence of the top stars hurt both franchises and drew an angry response from Gladiators coach and former Pakistan captain Moin Khan. “We, in the coming season, should only pick players who have the consent to visit Pakistan,” Moin said after losing the first eliminator against Zalmi. “We do not need to push for individuality as our league has now become a bigger brand … we don’t need to get these players who don’t want to come to Pakistan. In fact, this is hurting Pakistan as it is sending a negative signal and affects our country’s image as well.” Other internationals playing in the final include Peshawar Zalmi’s Darren Sammy of West Indies and Chris Jordan of England, and for Islamabad United, JP Duminy of South Africa and Luke Ronchi of New Zealand. With inputs from AP
Highlights, PSL 2018 final, Islamabad United vs Peshawar Zalmi at Karachi, Full cricket score: IU clinch second title
Wahab’s brought back in the 17th over, which is a mere formality, and the pacer gets to do the moustache-stroking celebration one last time in the tournament by castling Talat with a full-toss off the first delivery. Faheem Ashraf walks out to bat, and hits the winning six off the fourth delivery that he faces, hooking it over the square-leg fence. Islamabad United beat Peshawar United by three wickets, and lift the PSL trophy for the second time.
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IU 154/7 after 16.5 overs (Asif 26, Ashraf 6)
Wahab’s brought back in the 17th over, which is a mere formality, and the pacer gets to do the moustache-stroking celebration one last time in the tournament by castling Talat with a full-toss off the first delivery. Faheem Ashraf walks out to bat, and hits the winning six off the fourth delivery that he faces, hooking it over the square-leg fence.
Islamabad United beat Peshawar United by three wickets, and lift the PSL trophy for the second time!
BOWLED EM! Wahab gets to do the moustache-stroking celebrations one last time in PSL 2018, getting Talat castled with a full toss! IU 148/7
Talat b Wahab 7(11)
IU 148/6 after 16 overs (Talat 7, Asif 26)
Hasan Ali into his final over, and Asif Ali virtually ends the game with a hat-trick of sixes, launching a vicious counter-attack against the top-rated pacer! Hasan ends with forgettable figures of 2/53. Islamabad need just 1 off 24 balls.
IU 127/6 after 15 overs (Talat 5, Asif 7)
Talat collects a couple at the start of Asif’s final over, before bringing new batsman Asif Ali back on strike with a single off the third delivery. Asif skies the ball off the fourth ball, getting a top-edge, but Kamran Akmal ends up spilling the chance after calling out for the chance and running to his left. What’s worse, Sameen Gul throws, and the ball runs away to the boundary for overthrows, with six coming off the delivery. Akmal, who has been one of the biggest contributors towards Zalmi’s run to the final, gets glares from Sammy, Umaid and several other fielders. 11 off Umaid’s final over.
IU 116/6 after 14 overs (Talat 1, Asif 0)
Hasan Ali’s brought back into the attack in the 14th over, and he further tightens the screws on Islamabad, conceding just one run while getting rid of both Samit Patel as well as Shadab Khan — the latter succumbing to a terrific catch by Jordan near wide mid-on.
OUT! WHAT.A.CATCH. Jordan runs to his right after a mishit by Shadab, and pulls off a superb diving catch near wide long on! Ramiz Raja goes berserk on air, as Islamabad United lose their sixth wicket! IU 116/6
Shadab c Jordan b Hasan 1(2)
OUT! Hasan strikes right away after being brought back! Patel tries heaving over midwicket, but doesn’t get the desired height. Hafeez sticks his right arm out, and ends up collecting it! The game’s taken a real interesting turn now! IU 115/5
Patel c Hafeez b Hasan 10(13)
IU 115/5 after 13 overs (Patel 10, Shadab 1)
Jordan into his third over. New batsman Shadab sets off for a single at the start of the over. Jordan appeals vociferously for a caught-behind off the fourth delivery, with Sammy reviewing it after the appeal is turned down. Turns out Patel never got an contact between bat and ball on that occasion, with the sound probably coming off the ball brushing past his pocket. Just three off the over.
IU 112/4 after 12 overs (Patel 9)
Wahab returns to the attack, with Patel carving him wide of backward point for a four off the second delivery. Brings Farhan back on strike with a single off the penultimate delivery, before the latter holes out to Hasan at deep midwicket to depart for 44, giving Wahab his first wicket. The umpires call for the timeout at the end of the over. Meanwhile, we have a twist in the game now!
OUT! First wicket for Wahab Riaz, and he gets rid of set batsman Farhan — who miscues while attempting to heave the ball over midwicket! Wahab goes into his typical moustache-stroking celebration after getting the all-important wicket! IU 112/4
Farhan c Hasan b Wahab 44(33)
IU 106/3 after 11 overs (Farhan 43, Patel 4)
Single collected off each off the first two deliveries, with Jordan into his second over. Duminy gets a leading edge that lobs the ball back to the bowler for a simple return catch. Loud appeal for lbw off the fourth ball against new batsman Samit Patel, with the ball appearing to go down leg on the occasion. Patel gets off the mark with a boundary off the last ball, getting an inside-edge that guides the ball towards fine-leg. Six runs and a wicket off Jordan’s second over.
OUT! Two wickets in as many overs for Jordan! Duminy gets a leading edge that ends up turning into a simple catching opportunity for the English all-rounder! IU 102/3
Duminy c and b Jordan 2(4)
IU 100/2 after 10 overs (Farhan 42, Duminy 1)
Asif into his third over, and he removes Walton right away, with the West Indian chopping the ball onto his stumps to depart for a two-ball duck. Out walks Islamabad skipper Duminy, and he gets off the mark with a single off the second ball that he faces. Farhan whips a rising delivery towards long-leg off the fifth ball, and comes back for a second to bring up the 100 for his team. Three runs and a wicket off an excellent over from Asif.
BOWLED EM! Walton chops this one onto his off-stump, with Asif striking for Zalmi on this occasion! The fielding side were struggling to get a breakthrough so far, and now they have two wickets in a space of a few deliveries! IU 97/2
Walton b Asif 0(2)
IU 97/1 after 9 overs (Farhan 40, Walton 0)
Jordan’s brought into the attack in the ninth over, and he gets smashed down the ground for a six — the first of the innings for Farhan. A single and a wide off the next two deliveries, before Ronchi brings up his half-century with an inside-edge that sends the ball running away to the fine-leg fence. Ronchi though, doesn’t last beyond the over, holing out to Fletcher at backward point to depart for a 26-ball 52.
OUT! Ronchi finally walks back, and it is Jordan who delivers for his captain! The batsman slashes aggressively, but only manages to send it straight to aniticipating Fletcher at backward point! IU 96/1
Ronchi c Fletcher b Jordan 52(26)
IU 83/0 after 8 overs (Ronchi 48, Farhan 33)
Farhan smacks the ball towards the extra-cover fence at the start of the over, collecting his fifth four. Single collected off the next two deliveries. Farhan comes back for a second off the fourth delivery, guiding the ball towards the leg side, before collecting a single off the fifth. Dot to end the over, with nine coming off it.
IU 74/0 after 7 overs (Ronchi 47, Farhan 25)
Wahab continues from the other end, with Ronchi collecting a single off the second delivery of the over. Farhan collects his fourth four with a hit down the ground off the third delivery. Eight off the over.
IU 66/0 after 6 overs (Ronchi 46, Farhan 18)
Good over from Umaid Asif, who replaces Liam Dawson, giving away just three off the over. Meanwhile, Ronchi becomes the leading run-getter in the tournament with a single off the second delivery. What a powerplay this has been for Islamabad United!
IU 63/0 after 5 overs (Ronchi 45, Farhan 16)
Wahab’s brought in place of Hasan, and he’s only marginally better than Hasan in terms of keeping it tight, with Farhan collecting two boundaries off the over to move to double figures.