Quetta Gladiators 174/7 (20/20 ov) Shehzad 64, Sangakkara 55; Russell 3-36
Islamabad United 175/4 (18.4/20 ov) Smith 73, Haddin 61 no; McCullum 1-24
Islamabad United won by 6 wickets (with 8 balls remaining)
DUBAI // In the national narrative of Pakistan, Islamabad has rarely done right by Quetta. So in a way, the force of history had to assert itself in the final of the first Pakistan Super League (PSL).
It did, and emphatically as the late-blooming Islamabad United swatted aside by six wickets Quetta Gladiators who made it to the final first.
Islamabad’s surge has been irrepressible though. After an indifferent start to the tournament; they qualified for the play-offs as the third-best side.
On paper, they have gathered momentum, much like the 1992 World Cup team of their mentor Wasim Akram.
See also:
Sharjeel Khan blasts Islamabad United into Pakistan Super League final – in pictures
Quetta Gladiators v Islamabad United in Pakistan Super League final: Everything you need to know
Their fortunes even swung on the personal fortunes of a left-arm paceman, in this case Mohammed Irfan. Struggling for form, Akram set him right. In the four games which Islamabad won, he has figures of 3-22, 1-24, 1-28 and 2-25 Tuesday evening.
Each time, his first over has set the tone. In the final, in front of a full house – in itself a triumph for a weeknight – he dismissed Bismillah Khan in the first over, finding steepling bounce and sharp swing.
Ahmed Shehzad and Kumar Sangakkara rebuilt and put on 87 runs for the third wicket, making fifties in the process and at 140 for four after 16 overs, a big total was on the cards.
But they fell away and haemorrhaged momentum in the last few overs once Shehzad had gone. Anwar Ali had an especially horrid final, slogging away at thin air for much of the final overs and then proceeded to get smoked as he came out to bowl.
And he dropped Dwayne Smith when the opener was on 38, a chance that could have changed the game.
But Islamabad have also been an efficient side. Smith, a veteran T20 leaguer, was a canny replacement for Shane Watson. In reviving the career of a fading Mohammed Sami they have also pulled off a minor miracle.
In Andre Russell, who they targeted in the draft, they ended up with the league’s leading wicket-taker.
Turning point
Anwar Ali dropping Dwayne Smith at deep midwicket off Zulfiqar Babar when Smith was on 38 will no doubt be remembered as the key moment in this final. It was important – at that point, the game could have turned.
But the real game-changer was the dismissal of Ahmed Shehzad in the 17th over. He had just hit Mohammed Sami for a wonderful six when he attempted a lap over short fine the next ball. He was set and looking extremely dangerous but as it landed in the fielder’s hands, so did the prospect of a total nearing 200 vanish.
Man of the match
Smith made a 37-ball 19 in Islamabad’s previous win against Peshawar Zalmi. In the final, he smoked 71 off 53 balls, grabbing the chase by the collar early on, with two boundaries in the first over. He never relented, pummeling Quetta’s attack through the night.
The National’s verdict
Who says T20s are not for old folk? By winning Islamabad became the third-oldest side (on average age) to win a Twenty20 league. Nothing exemplified that experience better than Brad Haddin, who at 38, hit three fifties in the last four games to smooth the way home. And who hit the winning runs? Captain Misbah-ul-Haq, 41, of course.
Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE
Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheNationalSport
