PSL sees a midnight thriller with super over
Misbah, Islamabad’s winning captain, lauds his teammates for holding their nerves
Sharjah: A packed Friday crowd at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium had to wait for over four hours as the first match of the day between Multan Sultans and Karachi Kings eventually got abandoned due to rains without a ball being bowled. The second match, however, rewarded them for their patience with an unforgettable contest between Islamabad United and Lahore Qalanadars.
The Pakistan Super League (PSL) witnessed a Super Over finish for the first time in three seasons after both the teams tied their score, with Islamabad consigning Lahore to their fourth successive defeat and to the brink of elimination.
Commenting on their team’s performance, both the captains remarked that the tournament needed such a contest. Lahore captain Brendon McCullum, though disappointed by the result, said: “It was a thrilling game of T20, only disappointed to come out on the wrong side of it.”
The winning captain Misbah Ul Haq said: “We needed a match like this. We haven’t been playing good cricket but this match will give us a lot of confidence.”
The battle which went past midnight with fans screaming for their respective teams ended with Islamabad winning the Super Over, scoring the required 16 runs for victory.
Sami generated tremendous pace at the age of 37 and having not played international cricket since 2016. “I work a lot on my fitness and I keep trying to better myself,” said Sami.
Misbah lauded his team’s fielding and said: “I am happy to see the way we fielded, that’s what brought the game back for us (when Lahore was cruising to victory at 77 for 2 chasing a target on 122). I think in T20 cricket you know that without fielding well you won’t be part of many teams, and it is good to see Pakistanis doing it well.”
Misbah said that it was a tough time before the super over. “A lot of thoughts were going through our minds before the super over. We thought Sunil Narine would be bowling it. I am happy that the guys we sent (out to bat) were the ones who had played well and we thought they would do it for us.”
