PSL Final Review: Smith, Haddin sizzle as Islamabad thrash Quetta to lift inaugural PSL

The stage was set for the finals of the inaugural edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL). The tournament has been nothing short on entertainment and has caught the attention of the global audience being a massive hit. Islamabad United and Quetta Gladiators locked horns in the finals to crown the first PSL champions.

The story was all about the two overseas players of Islamabad, Brad Haddin, and Dwayne Smith. The duo wreaked havoc to take the game away from the Gladiators and never allowed them to settle down. What a tournament it was for Haddin, as he scored his third fifty. Smith, on the other hand, had come midway into the tournament as a replacement for Shane Watson and made an authoritative impact when it mattered.

The target of 174 looked attainable but certainly an uphill task. The Islamabad United got off to a flying start kudos to Dwayne Smith. United brought up their 50 well inside the powerplay. Nathan McCullum got some respite for the Gladiators in the last over of the powerplay as he cleaned up Sharjeel Khan (13). Smith was joined by Haddin at the crease and the international duo made an absolute mockery of the Quetta bowlers, hitting them all around the park. Smith notched up his half century in the eight over of the chase. Islamabad were moving perfectly at 79/1 by the end of 9th over. A couple of half chances came the way of Quetta, but none capitalized. The story remained the same till the 16th over as almost every oversaw a 6 being hit.

It was the 16^th over by Zulfiqar Babar that turned out to be eventful. Haddin notched up his half century in just 31 balls, his third of this edition, by taking a single on the second ball of the over. On the very next delivery, Dwayne Smith hit one straight into the hands of Kevin Pietersen to be dismissed on 73 off 51 balls. The burly West Indian hit 7 fours and 4 sixes in his innings. Andre Russell walked in to hit a six on the penultimate ball of the over. But his stay was short as he was dismissed on the first ball of the very next over by Cheema. Suddenly Islamabad were 147/3 in 16.1 overs. But Cheema couldn’t consolidate on the good work and leaked 12 runs in the 16th over.

Needing 16 off 18, Haddin hammered a six over mid-wicket. Singles came in after that to bring the equation to 6 from 12. Anwar Ali came in to bowl the penultimate over with Latif on strike. Wasting no time, Latif spanked the first ball to take Islamabad a hit away from the championship. Just when the match was as good as done, Latif top edged one to fine leg to bring Misbah-ul-Haq at the crease.

Perhaps a fairytale end for the Islamabad United skipper Misbah-ul-Haq who then hit the winning runs as Islamabad clinched the maiden Pakistan Super League title. Brad Haddin remained unbeaten on 61 off mere 39 balls with 2 fours and 5 towering maximums.

Earlier in the day, Misbah won the toss and had opted to bowl. The decision seemed perfect when Mohammad Irfan got rid of Bismillah Khan for a duck in the very first over. In walked Kevin Pietersen for the Quetta Gladiators, to join Ahmed Shehzad at the crease. KP looked in good touch and soon hit a mighty blow to announce his arrival. But his stay was cut short by Andre Russell who dismissed him for a run-a-ball eight. The scorecard looked evenly balanced at 33/2 in the last over of powerplay.

The veteran Sri Lankan, Kumar Sangakkara, who has shown great form in World Cup, All Stars and MCL recently, was the new man in for the Gladiators. Shehzad and Sangakkara then played with caution to recover well. The duo put on 87 runs off 56 balls for the 3rd wicket. Sanga dominated the partnership and brought up his half century in the process. When the chips were down for Islamabad, skipper Misbah turned to Russell again. The West Indian did not disappoint and dismissed Sangakkara for 55 in the 15th over to keep Quetta at 120/3.

Sangakkara’s 32 balls knock was embedded with 7 fours and 2 sixes. Mohammad Nawaz (7) and Sarfaraz Ahmed (3) had a short stay at the crease. Meanwhile at the other end, Ahmed Shehzad brought up his half century and stepped on the accelerator. Shehzad scored 64 off 39 balls with 9 boundaries and a maximum before being dismissed Mohammad Sami in the 17th over. Anwar Ali and Grant Elliot provided some late hitting to propel the score to 174/7 by the end of 20 overs.

Brief Scores:

Quetta Gladiators – 174/7 in 20 overs (Shehzad 64; Russell 3/36)

Islamabad United – 175/4 in 18.4 Overs (DR Smith 73, N McCullum 1/25)

Man of the Match: Brad Haddin (Islamabad United)

Man of the Series: Ravi Bopara (Karachi Kings)