KARACHI: Karachi Kings blasted their way into the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) final for the first time when they defeated Multan Sultans in the Super Over after the qualifier ended in a tie here at National Stadium on Saturday.
Multan will play on Sunday (today) with the winners of the first eliminator between former champions Peshawar Zalmi and Lahore Qalandars.
In the Super Over, Karachi Kings scored 13-2 from an over bowled by Sohail Tanvir who was hit for a four and a six by Sherfane Rutherford who fell off the last ball for 11.
Multan Sultans, sending Rilee Rossouw and Ravi Bopara, were then restricted to 9-0. Off the last ball from Mohammad Amir, Sultans needed six to win but the left-armer managed a brilliant yorker to restrict Rossouw to only a single.
Earlie, Ravi Bopara hit 40 and Sohail Tanvir hammered a fiery 13-ball 25 not out to enable Multan Sultans to post 141-7. In response, Babar Azam (65) and skipper Imad Wasim (27*) enabled Karachi Kings to reach 141-8.
After being invited to bat, Multan Sultans had a disastrous start. At one stage they were 40-4 in the seventh over. Ravi Bopara (40) and Khushdil Shah (17) tried to consolidate the innings. They added 40 runs off 36 balls for the fifth wicket to put some life in the innings. Khushdil, who did well against Zimbabwe in the T20 series, however, was undone by Mohammad Amir. The young batsman wanted to hit a delivery over mid-on, it went up and Rutherford took a nice catch while running towards his left. Khushdil hit one six from 21 balls.
Shahid Afridi (12) also failed to live up to the billing, held by Alex Hales at long-on off Arshad Iqbal. Afridi hit Arshad for a glorious six towards onside.
Waqas Maqsood then had Ravi Bopara, held nicely by Iftikhar in the deep. The former England Test batsman hit three fours and a glorious six off Waqas Maqsood in his 31-ball knock.
Sultans were gasping at 111-7 in 17.3 overs and needed some quick runs to put pressure on Kings. Sohail Tanvir smashed two sixes and one four in his fiery 13-ball 25 not out to take Multans to a reasonable total.
Earlier, Multan Sultans received the first blow when left-arm pacer Waqas Maqsood had the key wicket of Adam Lyth (9) who edged him to Chadwick Walton who took a flying catch behind the stumps. England’s left-hander faced seven balls and hit Mohammad Amir for a glorious six.
Soon afterwards skipper Shan Masood (3) was unlucky to get run out when Zeeshan Ashraf’s straight drive crashed the stumps after deflecting off Amir’s leg.
Then went Rilee Roussouw (5). The South African left-hander glanced a slower one from Arshad Iqbal and tried to take a single. The stumper Walton’s throw missed the stumps but Arshad picked up the ball off his follow-through and dislodged the bails with Rossouw struggling well away from the crease.
Imad Wasim then removed Zeeshan, held in the deep by Alex Hales. Zeeshan hit three fours in his 19-ball 21.
Sultans brought in their 50 in nine overs and hundred in 16.2 overs.
Arshad Iqbal (2-21 in 4) and Waqas (2-26 in 4) bowled really well. Imad Wasim got 1-11 in two overs.
South Africa’s pacer Wayne Parnell remained the most expensive of Kings bowlers as he conceded 35 runs in three overs. He was hit by Sohail Tanvir for two successive sixes in the last over of the innings which fetched for Sultans crucial 19 runs.
In pursuit of the target, Karachi Kings lost Sharjeel Khan (4) cheaply when he was held in the deep by Imran Tahir off Sohail Tanvir. Alex Hales then joined Babar Azam and the duo added 42 off 36 balls for the second wicket before the English player got run out when Babar’s straight smash off Khushdil hit the stumps at the non-striker’s end after the ball went through the hands of the bowler. Hales struck four fours in his 19-ball 22.
Shahid Afridi then got rid of Iftikhar (13) to leave Kings at 90-3 in 12.5 overs. He hit one four from 12 balls.
Sohail Tanvir then got rid of Babar Azam and Chadwick Walton (2) in one over to reduce hosts to 119-5 in 16.5 overs.
Babar, who brought in his fifty off 42 balls, hammered two sixes and five fours from 53 balls. This was Babar’s fourth fifty in this edition.
In the next over, leggie Imran Tahir had Rutherford (1) to leave Kings gasping at 122-6 in 17.4 overs. Parnell (1) got run out in the next over.
However, in the same over from Sohail Tanvir, Imad hit a six and a four to leave Kings needing seven from the last over from Mohammad Ilyas (1-29). Ilyas, after bowling a first dot ball, got the wicket of Amir (1). Imad then took a single off the third ball, Waqas Maqsood (1*) managed a single off the fourth before Imad missed the fifth delivery which was seemingly a wide. Off the last ball, Kings needed five to win and Imad hit a superb four towards backward square-leg to tie the game.
Imad hit two fours and one six in his fine knock. Sohail Tanvir claimed 3-25 in four overs. Babar Azam was declared the player of the match.