Islamabad beat Multan in final-ball thriller to win PSL

Islamabad United beat Multan Sultans in a final-ball thriller to win the Pakistan Super League and become the first team to claim three PSL titles.

Chasing 160, Martin Guptill made 50 to put Islamabad in control but he was run out to give Multan hope in Karachi.

Islamabad needed eight from the final over and Naseem Shah hit a four to leave three required off four balls.

Naseem was out off the penultimate ball with the scores level, leaving his brother Hunain to hit the winning run.

Multan scored 159-9 with Usman Khan making 57 and spinner Imad Wasim taking 5-23.

Islamabad's third title puts them one ahead of Lahore Qalandars, while Multan have now lost three successive finals since their only triumph in 2021.

Former England World Cup-winning spinner Alex Hartley was a part of Multan's coaching team, alongside ex-Ireland international Cath Dalton, who is the first woman to be a fast bowling coach in a professional men's team.

Islamabad, whose last title was in 2018, were superb in the field and restricted a Multan batting line-up that topped the group stages.

They thought they had Multan captain and Pakistan star Muhammad Rizwan in the first over but he survived because of a no-ball call.

Imad struck twice at the other end though and that meant Multan had to build patiently through Rizwan and Usman.

Islamabad captain and leg-spinner Shadab Khan removed Rizwan before he and Imad, who claimed the first five-wicket haul in a PSL final, squeezed Multan to restrict them to 127-9.

Iftikhar Ahmed smashed an unbeaten 32 off 20 balls to drag Multan up to a respectable total and give them hope.

Islamabad slipped to 55-3 and the required run-rate was climbing but Guptill and Azam Khan went through the gears to put their side in control.

Confusion between the pair meant Guptill, who made his second half-century in three innings, was run out and that allowed Multan to build pressure.

Three wickets in successive overs followed and that left Islamabad needing 31 from the final three overs.

Naseem hit Iftikhar for two boundaries and Imad took Chris Jordan for two more to put Islamabad within touching distance.

Another boundary off the second ball of the final over from Naseem took Islamabad closer but there was another twist with the youngster caught behind looking to pull Mohammad Ali.

It left Hunain needing a single from the final ball and he edged to the point boundary to spark jubilant scenes for the men in red.

It means Islamabad won five successive games to end their campaign and take a third title.

Multan have now lost successive finals off the final ball after a one-run defeat by Lahore in 2023.

Source: BBC