Babar Azam and his men were defeated in their pursuit of reaching the PSL final, as the Mohammad Rizwan-led Multan Sultans emerged victorious, reaching their fourth consecutive final in the tournament.
Babar Azam won the crucial toss, but his decision to bat first backfired as his fellow batters failed to get going on a slow track in Karachi. Peshawar Zalmi could score only 146 runs in their 20 overs, and that was never going to suffice in a vital knockout game against a Multan Sultans lineup with enough firepower.
On that note, let us look at how the Multan Sultans won against Babar Azam’s Peshawar Zalmi:
(1)Another failure for the Peshawar Zalmi’s middle-order
Peshawar Zalmi’s batting lineup, on paper, has always looked very threatening. With a good mix of anchors and aggressors, their batting lineup is very capable of winning their side games.
However, they were never allowed to live up to their potential in the Qualifier 1 against Multan Sultans. Saim Ayub, who is arguably the most swashbuckling top-order batter going around in the Pakistani circuit, was dismissed in the first over.
Mohammad Haris, who has had a horrid season so far, looked like he was finally picking form just when a peach from Mohammad Ali found his outside edge. Haseebullah Khan was dismissed cheaply as well.
Tom Kohler-Cadmore was on the receiving end of some absolutely cracking deliveries, and he only managed to add a run-a-ball 24 to Peshawar Zalmi’s total.
Rovman Powell failed to find gaps, and the slowish nature of the pitch restricted him to just 12 runs, and that too coming at a strike rate of under 110, something one doesn’t get to see very often with Rovman Powell.
Babar Azam, once again, was the lone warrior, scoring 46, accounting for almost 33% of the runs that were scored off the bat. Whenever he tried shifting gears, wickets fell at the other end, leaving him with no option but to try and build a partnership.
It was a brilliant display from the Multan Sultans bowlers, but it was also a wake-up call for Babar Azam, Darren Sammy, and the Peshawar Zalmi management. If the middle-order continues to disappoint, the over-reliance on Babar Azam and Saim Ayub might well be the reason behind their failure in the coming Qualifier 2 or the Final.
(2) A commendable effort from Usama Mir and Chris Jordan
Babar Azam’s side may have ended the innings with a modest total, but at the end of the powerplay, they were still in a very decent position. Mohammad Haris’ counterattack and some cracking drives and flicks from Babar Azam guided Peshawar Zalmi to 51 at the 6-over mark.
However, what was followed was a sensational comeback by the Multan Sultans. Credit must also be given to Mohammad Rizwan for rotating his bowlers and setting the fields to absolute perfection.
Iftikhar Ahmed was brought into the attack immediately after the powerplay, and he bowled in tandem with the leading wicket taker of the season, Usama Mir.
The duo bossed the batters, and the flow of runs dried up completely in no time. In the four overs after the end of the powerplay, only 16 runs were scored. This was arguably the phase of the game that shifted the momentum towards Multan Sultans.
The pressure kept mounting, and the frustration was visible with the way the barters tried to go about things. Usama Mir got beautiful drift and flight, and mixed it up really well. Babar Azam still held one end and tried to take it deep, and that is when Chris Jordan came into action.
Babar Azam’s ability to absorb pressure, take the innings deep and then accelerate is no news. At that stage, he had played 41 deliveries and already, and when a player of such class gets his eye in, it requires something extraordinary to get rid of him. Unfortunately for Peshawar Zalmi, Babar Azam did receive an absolute nut from Chris Jordan. A quick yorker that was tailing back in disturbed the furniture, which meant that Babar Azam had to depart.
Chris Jordan continued to nail those yorkers even after Babar Azam’s dismissal. His pin-point accuracy and a hint of reverse swing made it nearly impossible for the batters to get those deliveries away. The veteran bowled an exceptional last over, conceding just three runs.
(3) Yasir Khan and Iftikhar Ahmed’s game changing knocks
On a track where most batters struggled to find the fence or clear the ropes, Yasir Khan and Iftikhar Ahmed were the difference between the two sides.
The Karachi pitch looked like a powerplay pitch, the kind of surface where the powerplay is the easiest to bat on, with conditions only getting tougher to bat on as the innings continue.
Yasir Khan ensured that the Multan Sultans made best possible use of the field restrictions early on. He made a statament when he smacked just the second ball of the innings for six over mid-wicket.
The right-handed batter rotated strike well, and kept finding boundaries at regular intervals. He hit three boundaries off a Paul Walter over in the powerplay, releasing all the pressure that Babar Azam and his men were trying to build. Half-trackers and any sort of width were punished by the man, as he scored a brilliant 54, coming at a very healthy strike rate of 145.
Iftikhar Ahmed has been in destructive form this season, and he continued to do what he does best. While Babar Azam may have started to hope for a close, last-over finish, Iftikhar Ahmed came out all guns blazing and killed the game with some meaty blows.
He faced just eight deliveries, and managed to get a boundary on half of those deliveries.
Also Read: PSL 2024 : Clinical Multan Sultans Make 4th Straight Finals Due To Sensational Usama Mir’s Bowling