Luke Ronchi smashed 52 off 26 balls to set up Islamabad’s win. (Source: PSL Twitter)
What a match it turned out to be in the end. It can’t be called the best of T20 cricket in terms of batting technique, although what Luke Ronchi and Sahibzada Farhan did in first half of the Islamabad United innings was the best you would find anywhere. After that, though, it was a different match altogether. Islamabad, who looked so solid throughout this final, suddenly looked jittery and were playing the rashest of shots. While the required rate was never really a problem, their tendency to lose wickets certainly was. Asif Ali then smashed a hat-trick of sixes off Wahab Riaz in the 16th over to practically finish the match. Islamabad did take their time to score that last run but they did get there eventually.
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Islamabad United are now two-time champions of the Pakistan Super League. They have been domintant throughout the season and have finally seen it through. It did look like Zalmi might pull of the unlikeliest of comebacks but in the end, the target they had to defend was too low and Asif Ali took away any chances they had of winning with those three consecutive sixes. It was a great match and the cricket-starved crowds in Karachi surely got their heart's fill.
Asif Ali takes Hasan Ali for three consecutive sixes in the 16th over and suddenly all the tension is released, Islamabad need 1 run to win now
This is absolutely crazy. What need is there to play a loose shot like that is beyond any realm of imagination. But Shadab looks to go through a short ball, no timing or placement and Jordan takes a brilliant one handed diving catch.
Not too difficult one would think. But Islamabad are playing like they have to make 10 runs in five balls. They are making rash slashes at the ball and trying to take impossible runs. To what end, is a million dollar question.
So six sixes in an over should help them do it. That is in a perfect world. In the real world where Karachi is located, Peshawar bowlers are spitting fire. Samit Patel was cut in half by Jordan and there seemed to be a nick as it travelled to keeper. The umpire said no, Sammy reviewed and the umpire's decison stood.
Duminy hits it straight back to Chris Jordan and the stand-in captain is the third wicket to fall. Islamabad still have a very favourable equation but they are losing wickets far too frequently now.
He reached his half century in 25 balls and then cuts it straight to point. Peshawar finally get the breakthrough they were looking for and have taken a baby step in climbing the mountain that is in front of him
Luke Ronchi has toned down his assault but that early run feast has done the damage, Islamabad now need 75 to win off 78 runs. While Ronchi has grown silent, his opening partner Farhan is freeing up and finding the boundary more consistently
He has hit 4 sixes so far and has made 35 runs off 13 balls. Islamabad are now 40/0 off 3 overs.
Luke Ronchi is the man to fear in T20 cricket and he shows why. He warms up with three dot balls and then hits two consecutive sixes off the first over bowled by Hasan Ali. He ends with a double and 14 runs have been scored off that opening over.
They didn't look like they would last 20 overs but Wahab Riaz turned it around for them with a valuable, 28-run cameo. The last wicket has produced 27 runs for Peshawar. It is not the kind of total that will make Peshawar too confident and Islamabad know that this still is their match to lose. But Wahab's push in the end has shifted momentum Peshawar's way.
Riaz is turning out to be an unlikey hero for Peshawar. He has smashed 22 off 11 balls and suddenly, Peshawar are 142/9. The last wicket has produced 25 runs.
It was not a bad shot, Hasan Ali steps back and pulls a short ball but Chadwick Walton runs in and dives forward to complete a superb catch.
It is the senior statesman who gets Dawson. Peshawar are reeling now and their bowlers may not have too much left to defend. At current rate, even 150 looks a distant dream.
Anoither LBW, went for the pull and misses it completely, the ball hits the thigh and the umpire gives not out. Islamabad go for the review and all the boxes are ticked. The decision is reversed!
Another LBW and Islamabad smacking their lips now. They have Peshawar exactly where they want them. A googly that pitches on off and rips back in to beat Sammy and he is plumb.
A beautiful four from the West Indies star to get started. Peshawar manage three more runs and they are now at 109/5
A skiddy length ball that beats the batsman for pace, ends up hitting straight into the hands of the bowler, Talat gets his second of the day. Out comes Darren Sammy.
And the deadlock is broken! Jordan hit a six off just the previous ball and tries to go big again. This time, though, he finds JP Duminy at the boundary.
Jordan has moved to 30 while Dawson is on 21. Zalmi will have know that the current rate is going to do them no good. They will be looking to step up in the coming overs and Islamabad will also be looking to force some mistakes in that period.
English duo Chris Jordan and Liam Dawson are giving Peshawar some much needed stability. They have managed to take the scorecard to 62/3 and now the pressure is back on the bowler.
Well this is a rather horrendous start for Zalmi. Fletcher looks to defend and is not able to bring his bat down in time, no hesitation for the umpire to raise his finger.
Islamabad would count this as a fantastic start. They haven't allowed the Peshawar batsmen get away that easily with runs. Samit Patel has been as effective as he could have been in his first two overs of the match, giving just 21 runs and taking two wickets.
Well how about that, Hafeez had hit the first six of the evening just the previous over and took a single to retain strike. Patel tosses it up and Hafeez defends it back, the bowler then does well to dive to his left and take the catch.
If the first two overs were quiet, the third is anything but. Andre Fletcher hammers consecutive fours off the first two balls off Patel before taking a single. The very next ball, Akmal gets down on one knee looking for the sweep but he misses it completely and takes it on the front leg. Aleem Dar raises his finger but Akmal reviews. Three reds, plumb in front, review wasted and Islamabad get a very important wicket.
This has been a good tight start from Islamabad, just three runs given away in the first two overs. Meanwhile here is an image from Karachi. Talk about long lines!
Kamran Akmal and Andre Fletcher open the innings for Peshawar, Samit Patel starts the Islamabad attack. It is a good first over from the Englishman and he gives away just one run.
Darren Sammy decides to take the field second this time. The two captains confirm their teams and here they are
Peshawar Zalmi: Kamran, Fletcher, Hafeez. Nasim, Dawson, Sammy, Jordan, Hasan Ali, Wahab, Umaid, Sameen Gul
Islamabad United: Ronchi, Walton, Duminy, Farhan, Hussain, Asif, Khan, Faheem, Ammad Butt, Sami, Patel
Strings and Ali Zafar have just completed their sets. Darren Sammy got on stage with the former.
Mahela Jayawardene scored 240 and Thilan Samaraweera made 231. Between them, they put up a stand of 437 for the fourth wicket. Then Pakistan came to bat and their innings was defined by Younis Khan. He shared a stand of 149 with Shoaib Malik, 130 with Misbah-Ul-Haq and 174 with Faisal Iqbal before Kamran Akmal and Yasir Arafat put up an unbeaten stand of 169 for the seventh wicket. Younis became only the third Pakistani batsman to get a triple century in Test cricket and had made 313 before Akmal made 158. And that's the first two innings of the last Test match to be played in Karachi in a nutshell. It ended in a draw and since then, no international fixture has been played there. The PSL final may not techically be an international fixture and it certainly doesn't hold the aesthetic value of a Test match. But it is T20 cricket, a Pakistan Super League final and for the first time since 2009, residents of Karachi will be able to see international stars playing in their city. Their home team, Karachi Kings, may have been eliminated but, judging from the images coming from the city, it doesn't look like that will make a dent in the atmosphere one bit.