PSL 2018, Match 6 Review: Islamabad United clinch a low-scoring thriller

Everyone loves a low-scoring thriller and on the 4th day of the PSL, we had one such contest on offer where Islamabad United emerged victorious. The Multan Sultans registered their first defeat of the season, which means that the only unbeaten team right now in the League are the Karachi Kings.

It was a tough day for all the batsmen, including the masterful Kumar Sangakkara. Youngster Rumman Raees and senior Mohammad Sami collaborated brilliantly to pile up the agony on the Multan side, who are off to a flying start to this season. Sangakkara fell in the third over of the innings and in the very next over, Mohammad Sami struck and removed Darren Bravo.

Just before the powerplay came to a close, Sami picked up his second in the evening and Islamabad United were reduced to 19/3 in 5.2 overs. Ahmed Shehzad, who was just about hanging in and facing the music, finally succumbed to Steven Finn. Their innings received a major boost when Shoaib Malik and Kieron Pollard came together.

Both these players stitched a decent stand, where Pollard went all out against his Windies companion Andre Russell and Malik paced his innings well. They added 54 runs for the 5th wicket, which saw them in a decent position at 85/5 at the end of the 15th over. Wickets started to tumble yet again from that point as fast bowlers took full charge of the situation.

Eventually, a stunning piece of effort from their bowlers saw Multan getting bowled out for 113 runs in 19.5 overs. The fast bowling trio of Finn, Sami, and Rumman Raees conceded just 46 runs in 12 overs amongst them, making the real difference in the tie. The skipper returned with the best figures for United with 3/13 after his name in 4 overs.

Imran Tahir spins a web, but not good enough

All those people who felt the game was going one-sided got a wake-up call as Multan bowlers made life difficult for United. Luke Ronchi fell off the third ball in the run chase and the game was pretty much on. Chadwick Walton eased pressure for the batting side with a composed little inning, but that comfort remained for a very short span.

Walton and Sahibzada Farhan struck a few boundaries and the scoring rate was above 7 after five overs. But once Imran Tahir got the ball in his hands, the game changed on its head. Farhan was dismissed in the last over of the Powerplay and Walton too fell in a couple of overs time.

Imran Tahir ran riot in the 10th over of the game with two wickets in two balls. He picked up the likes of Asif Ali and the very dangerous Andre Russell. The match slowly came on level terms as the runs had dried up and Multan brought themselves into a situation where they had to defend 45 runs off the last 7 overs.

Just when people thought the game would go down the wire, Hussain Talat added life back to the United camp. He fearlessly kept striking the ball and hit some very big shots out of the blue. His 48* off 34 balls helped their side chase the total down in 17.4 overs. If it had not been for Talat’s composure, this game would’ve been a lot closer.

Brief Scores

Multan Sultans: 113 all out in 19.5 overs (Shoaib Malik 35; Rumman Raees 3/13, Mohammad Sami 2/19)

Islamabad United: 117/5 in 17.4 overs (Hussain Talat 48*; Imran Tahir 3/19)

Result: Islamabad United won by five wickets

Player of the Match: Hussain Talat

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