Multan Sultans qualified for their first Pakistan Super League final on Monday, defeating Islamabad United by 31 runs in the playoffs. Multan reached 180-5 thanks to Sohaib Maqsood’s 59 and Khushdil Shah’s 42 off 22 balls after captain Mohammad Rizwan was dismissed without scoring. Islamabad, which is known for its run chases, was bowled out for 149 with an over to spare against the pace of Sohail Tanvir (3-17) and Zimbabwe swing spinner Blessing Muzarabani (3-31).
On Tuesday, Islamabad will play Peshawar Zalmi for a chance to reach the final. In the first of the eliminator finals, Peshawar Zalmi beat Karachi Kings by five wickets with one delivery to spare. Tanvir took the important wicket of Usman Khawaja, who threatened to take the game away from Multan with a spectacular performance of 70 off 40 balls, with his second delivery knocking back the middle stump of the in-form Colin Munro for a duck.
Khawaja, who represents Australia in test cricket but is the only Islamabad-born player in the United team, reached his half-century in 33 balls and hammered Muzarabani for three consecutive boundaries in the 14th over. In the next over, Tanvir returned, and Shah took a well-judged catch at deep midwicket to eliminate Khawaja. Islamabad’s aspirations were dashed.
Earlier, Maqsood had reached his fourth half-century of the season after deciding to bat first. Multan was saved by the rejected Pakistan international, who hit seven fours and three pulled sixes. Multan dropped to 59-3 in the eighth over after Islamabad captain Shadab Khan picked up both of his wickets in the first over when he had Shan Masood and Rilee Rossouw’s leg before the wicket.
Maqsood, on the other hand, added a quickfire 63 with Johnson Charles, who struck three fours and three sixes in a quickfire 41. Shah maintained his momentum by slamming teenage fast bowler Akif Javed for 29 runs in the penultimate over, which featured four consecutive sixes and a four.
In the second match, Karachi batted first and scored 175-7, with Babar Azam top-scoring with 53 and Thisara Perera slamming three sixes as he reached 37 from 18 balls in the middle order. In a player-of-the-match performance, Hazratullah Zazai dominated Peshawar’s run chase, blasting five sixes and ten fours as he plundered the Karachi attack for 77 from 38 deliveries.
For the first two wickets, he controlled partnerships of 49 with Kamran Akmal and 43 with Imam-ul-Haq, lifting Peshawar to 103-3 by the time he was bowled in the 12th over. Shoaib Malik (30) maintained Peshawar’s momentum till his departure in the penultimate over.
On Thursday, the winner of Tuesday’s second eliminator will face Multan in the final.