No excuses as Rizwan lauds Islamabad after PSL 9 triumph
Islamabad claimed their third PSL title after emerging victorious in 2016 and 2018
Multan Sultans captain Mohammad Rizwan opened up after his side lost the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season nine final by two wickets against Islamabad United on Monday in Karachi.
Islamabad claimed their third PSL title after emerging victorious in 2016 and 2018 and have become the most successful team in the tournament's history.
“If the match goes to last ball, you can't really point out any flaw. Credit to Imad for picking a fifer and scoring those crucial runs,” Rizwan said.
“When you have momentum then you want to just keep playing but the gap [after the Qualifier] breaks the momentum, it isn't an excuse but we can say they [Islamabad] played really well.
“I'm not quite satisfied with my batting, I'm always available for Pakistan to bat any position.
“Congratulations to Islamabad and it was fun to play tonight in front of a packed house.”
The thriller was decided on the last ball when Hunain Shah came into bat with one run required off the final ball. The youngster smartly identified the gap at point and hit the ball for four.
Earlier, Sultans posted 159-9 in their 20 overs after winning the toss and opting to bat.
A 40-ball 57 by Usman Khan and 26 by captain Mohammad Rizwan led the way for Sultans.
However, Sultans lost five wickets for just 13 runs and slipped to 127-9.
Left-arm spinner Imad Wasim starred with figures of 5-23 while Naseem grabbed 3-32.
Iftikhar Ahmed brought Multan back in the game with whirlwind 20-ball 32 not out with three sixes and as many fours, notching 31 in the last two overs.
United also lost their way as they slipped from 121-4 to 129-7 but Wasim held his nerves with the tail and scored 17-ball 19 to help them cross the finish line.
For the champions, Martin Guptill top-scored with a 32-ball 50 with three sixes and four boundaries. Azam Khan scored a 22-ball 30 with a six and four boundaries.
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