Hyderabad Kingsmen’s Last-Over Thriller: A Historic Victory!
Eliminator 2 of PSL 11 between Hyderabad Kingsmen and Islamabad United was a "Last-Over Thriller" which left the fans ecstatic. Kingsmen scored 186 runs thanks to Usman Khan's stormy innings of 61 runs in 30 balls. During the chase, when Islamabad needed only 6 runs in 6 balls, young Hunain Shah gave away only 3 runs with his stormy bowling and gave his team a huge victory by 2 runs. The turning point of the match was that "Superman" catch of Hassan Khan which saved 4 precious runs by stopping a sure shot six on the boundary. After losing their first four matches, Hyderabad Kingsmen secured their place in the final by defeating the three-time champions.
Hyderabad Kingsmen Playing 11
Maaz Sadaqat, Marnus Labuschagne (C), Saim Ayub, Glenn Maxwell, Usman Khan (w-k), Kusal Perera, Hassan Khan, Irfan Khan Niazi, Hunain Shah, Mohammad Ali, Akif Javed.
Islamabad United playing 11
Devon Conway(w-k), Sameer Minhas, Mohsin Riaz, Shadab Khan (C), Mark Chapman, Haider Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Chris Green, Imad Wasim, Salman Mirza, Richard Gleeson.
The match's climax came when Islamabad United won the toss and decided to bowl first. It was a do-or-die match for Hyderabad Kingsmen. Maaz Sadaqat and Saim Ayub came to the field, but Islamabad's sharp bowling gave Kingsmen a shock in the very first over. Maaz Sadaqat was out in the second over, and the stadium went silent.
The pressure on the Hyderabad Kingsmen team was clearly visible. Wickets kept falling one after the other. Kingsmen lost 4 key players back to the pavilion at just 85 runs. Marnus Labuschagne tried to provide some support by scoring 39 runs off 32 balls, but he too could not convert it into a run-a-ball innings. Saim Ayub scored 38 runs, but Glenn Maxwell was dismissed for just 6 runs. It seemed that Kingsmen might be restricted to 130-140, and Islamabad United would easily win the match.
But then entered "in-form" Usman Khan. When all expectations seemed lost, Usman Khan, along with Kusal Perera, disrupted the line and length of the Islamabad bowlers. As soon as he arrived, Usman Khan started hitting shots to every corner of the ground. Watching his batting, it seemed as if the ground had been cut.
Usman played an innings of 61 runs in just 30 balls with a strike rate of 203! He played 360-degree shots, be it reverse sweep, switch hit, or a six over long-on. His innings included 10 thunderous fours. He was ably supported by Kusal Perera, who played a quickfire knock of 37 runs in 21 balls. The two of them together made a partnership of 101 runs, thanks to which Hyderabad Kingsmen put a fighting total of 186 runs on the board. For Islamabad, Imad Wasim took 2 wickets, while Richard Gleeson, Chris Green, and Faheem Ashraf took one wicket each. When Islamabad United came to chase the target of 187 runs, their start was also not good. Their in-form batsman Sameer Minhas, was out in the second over itself. There came a time when they had lost 4 wickets for just 68 runs in 10.1 overs.
From here, Mark Chapman and Haider Ali took over. Both of them together made a partnership of 64 runs and tried to take the match out of Hyderabad's hands. The match became interesting when 28 runs were needed from the last 12 balls. Hyderabad handed over the 19th over to Muhammad Ali, but that over was no less than a nightmare for the Kingsmen. Muhammad Ali conceded 22 runs in that over! Chris Green and Faheem Ashraf combined to thrash him so thoroughly that everyone thought the match was over.
Now the scenario was this: 6 balls, only 6 runs were needed. Islamabad had the match in their hands, and two set batsmen, Chris Green (19 runs) and Faheem Ashraf (who had taken the finisher's role by hitting a six off the previous ball) were present at the crease. The captain handed the ball to young Hunain Shah. Hunain had enthusiasm on his face, but there was a lot of responsibility.
Hunain Shah bowled Kamal while defending the target of 6 runs in the last over; after a dot ball on the first ball and a single on the second, he trapped Faheem Ashraf with a wide yorker and had him caught by Hassan Khan on the fourth ball. Hunain maintained his line and length even on the last two balls, due to which Imad Wasim and the rest of the batsmen together could score only 3 runs, and Hyderabad Kingsmen won this sensational match by 2 runs.
Hyderabad Kingsmen won this match in an unbelievable way by 2 runs!
The real turning point of this match came in the 16.1 over when Aqif Javed was bowling. Faheem Ashraf played a Buland-o-Bala shot, which was clearly going for 6 runs. But Hassan Khan, standing on the boundary, jumped in the air like "Superman" and threw the ball into the ground. He definitely converted 6 runs into 2 runs. Those saved 4 runs ultimately became the reason for Islamabad's defeat.
Hyderabad Kingsmen have created history in PSL 11 that few can replicate. They lost their first four matches in a row. Everyone was saying that this was a debut team and would be eliminated. But they bounced back, defeating three-time champions Islamabad United in Eliminator 2 and now they have reached the final.
Now on May 3, Hyderabad Kingsmen will face Peshawar Zalmi. Will this debutant team surprise the world by lifting the trophy? Only time will tell, but this match of May 1 will be written in the golden hour of PSL history.
