All-round Multan Sultans overpower Islamabad United to secure final berth
Khawaja's 70 in vain as Islamabad United fall short by 30 runs
Khawaja's 70 in vain as Islamabad United fall short by 30 runs
Scorer: Binoy George | Commentator: Shashank Kishore
Don't go too far away. The PSL Eliminator-1 is coming up. Zalmi taking on the Kings. The winner plays Islamabad United in a virtual semi-final. The loser goes home. It's all to play for.
9.15pm Dead and buried when the tournament resumed, Multan Sultans needed to win almost everything to make the playoffs. They not just made the playoffs, but secured a top-two finish. And here they are, one win away from their maiden PSL title. What magical scenes in Abu Dhabi. The entire team is ecstatic!
Islamabad United will rue their penultimate over that went for 29. That was momentum changing in so many ways. A target of 160 would've been much different to the 181 they were eventually faced with. Usman Khawaja attempted a heist despite the top-order collapsing, but with little support from the others, it was a task too steep. Islamabad United still have a second crack at the final. They'll meet the winners of Peshawar Zalmi and Karachi Kings.
Mohammad Rizwan, the Multan Sultans captain: "Pressure was on both teams, but we made a conscious decision to remain calm and take it easy. It helped in the performance. The important thing was getting momentum towards the end. Maqsood carried it and Khushdil finished it off. That helped the bowlers. The rest we get now is a good thing, the humidity and heat has taken its toll. We'll work hard between now and the final."
Sohail Tanvir is the Player of the Match for his 3 for 17. "The slower deliveries were sticking onto the pitch, so the talk was to bring in a lot of variations. Early wickets helped since Munro is an in-form batsman. The plans we made worked, so credit to the bowling unit for utilising the conditions.
Hussain Talat c Sohail Tanvir b Muzarabani 25 (25b 2x4 0x6) SR: 100.00
Faheem Ashraf c Charles b Muzarabani 0 (3b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00
Ashraf at No. 10. Now, United need a miracle to win from here. It's not entirely out of the realms of possibility. Here's Muzarabani. Can he redeem himself?
Khawaja's 70 in vain as Islamabad United fall short by 30 runs