PSL 2018, Final Review: Islamabad United clinch their second PSL trophy after a thrilling finale

After so many dramatic and exciting games, the season had to finish with a game of this caliber. What a game the Peshawar Zalmi and Islamabad United played, but eventually, it was the franchise from the national capital who emerged triumphantly. JP Duminy and his pals were all in celebrations in Karachi whilst Darren Sammy seemed gutted to have missed out after coming so close.

Not many expected the Zalmi to falter the way they did especially after their performance against the Karachi Kings. But their main man Kamran Akmal fell very early in the inning, kick-starting a forgettable downfall. Mohammad Hafeez was the next to depart and Samit Patel picked up two important wickets inside the Powerplay overs.

Chris Jordan was promoted to bat St number 4, a move which came in as a surprise for many. It didn’t work very badly though as he and Andre Fletcher stitched a decent partnership for the 3rd wicket. Jordan played some big shots and kept the scoreboard ticking, but it was all temporary. After Fletcher’s departure, Liam Dawson chipped in with a decent hand, but it was all too less for the cause.

Jordan hit three sixes in his short little stay and kept the scoreboard ticking well. But his stay was brought to an end by Hussain Talat. Liam Dawson too departed soon and the Zalmi contingent fell into deep trouble. Wickets kept tumbling at regular intervals as Shadab Khan spun a web around the batters and made their life miserable. It seemed difficult for them to cross even the 130 run-barrier.

But Wahab Riaz’s 14-ball 28 helped them clobber decent amount of runs towards the end. They finished with 148 runs losing 9 wickets in their 20 overs. Shadab Khan was the pick amongst the bowlers, returning with figures of 3/25 in 4 overs. The total was smal, but formidable enough to throw a challenge.

Ronchi does it once again

Luke Ronchi’s sensational PSL campaign ended with another fifty-plus score. The Kiwi batter played an important knock at the top of the order to help them condense the required run rate. Ronchi absolutely annihilated the bowlers in the Powerplay and Sahibzada Farhan played a brilliant supporting knock.

Both players looked well set to take their side all the way. Ronchi completed yet another blazing half-century and was marching on towards a big knock. A distraught Zalmi fielding unit could do nothing but watch the events unfold. But then came a twist in the tale when Islamabad lost a flurry of wickets.

No one expected Islamabad to mess up things this way, but they did. Firstly, Ronchi fell prey to Chris Jordan and Chadwick Walton got dismissed for a duck. Jordan got the prized-scalp of Duminy in his next over and the well-set Farhan too got dismissed in the most absurd manner.

From 96/0, they were reduced to 116/6, losing 6 wickets for 20 runs. It seemed as though Zalmi would register a mind-boggling comeback, but Kamran Akmal dropped one of the costliest catches on PSL history. Asif Ali was on 0 when Akmal dropped him and that lad went on to smash three consecutive sixes in the next over.

It was heartbreaking for Zalmi after coming so close, but Islamabad romped their way to the title with a huge six from the bat of Faheem Ashraf. This was a game no one amongst the players or fans would forget and what a way to announce the arrival of top-level cricket in Karachi.

Brief Scores

Peshawar Zalmi: 148/9 in 20 overs (Chris Jordan 36, Liam Dawson 33; Shadab Khan 3/25)

Islamabad United: 154/7 in 16.5 overs ( Luke Ronchi 52, Sahibzada Farhan 44, Asif Ali 26*; Chris Jordan 2/22)

Player of the match: Luke Ronchi

Player of the tournament: Luke Ronchi