Daily Times

LAHORE: A dazzling knock from Sohaib Maqsood and three wickets each claimed by Sohail Tanvir and Blessing Muzarabani steered Multan Sultans to their first-ever final of the Pakistan Super League at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Monday evening. The win in the first Qualifier also put aside Multan’s dubious record of being the only PSL side without a final appearance so far. Chasing a formidable winning target of 181, Islamabad United were bundled out for 149 in 19 overs to suffer a 31-run defeat. In their pursuit, Islamabad lost three wickets inside three overs – two to Sohail, who accounted for Colin Munro (zero off one) and Shadab Khan (zero off three). Islamabad were reeling at 61 for five in the 10th over before in-form Usman Khawaja was joined by Hussain Talat. The pair contributed 50 off 28 for the sixth-wicket before Sohail – who was brought in for his final over in the 15th over took prized wicket of Usman. Usman top-scored with a 40-ball 70, striking nine fours and a six. The left-arm fast Sohail ended-up with figures of three for 17. Zimbabwe international Muzarabani accounted for Iftikhar Ahmed (16 off 15 balls, two fours), Hussain Talat (25 off 25 balls, two fours) and Faheem Ashraf (zero off three balls) and ended up with three for 31. Multan, who made their first appearance in the PSL playoffs last year but were knocked out after losing to Karachi Kings in the Qualifier and to Lahore Qalandars in the Eliminator, made sure they did not make any mistakes this time around. Islamabad – 2016 and 2018 winners – will have another chance of progressing to the final as they play the winner of the Eliminator 1 in the Eliminator 2 on Tuesday (today) evening.

Earlier, Multan, how were set in motion by Maqsood after they elected to bat, gained momentum after a slump as the right-handed hard-hitting batsman top-scored for his team with 59 off 41 balls, smashing seven fours and three sixes. He stitched a 63-run partnership with Johnson Charles (41 off 21 balls, three fours, three sixes) for the fourth-wicket after Multan had lost Shan Masood (25 off 22 balls, four fours) and Rilee Rossouw (zero off two balls) in the eighth over to Shadab. Captain Mohammad Rizwan had earlier perished for a duck in the second over of the innings. Khushdil Shah (42 not out off 22 balls, five sixes) struck four sixes in the 19th over of the innings which helped Multan post a formidable score on the board. He knitted an unbeaten 43-run partnership for the sixth-wicket with Sohail (12 not out off nine, one four). For Islamabad, Faheem and Shadab took two wickets apiece.