Master Class Play

Master Class Play is the destination to which these steps were running with determination, the destination came right in front of us, but unfortunately, these steps suddenly became difficult and the defeated Sultans returned without the trophy even after playing another final.

Muhammad Rizwan was heading towards the pavilion with his head bowed and Naseem Shah was celebrating the most valuable wicket of the match when suddenly technology intervened and that ball was declared a ‘no ball.

Fate helped Rizwan at the right time.

But Rizwan could not help himself.

Teams with consecutive victories in long tournaments are always worried about such a finals collapse if most of their victories have revolved around one or two characters. Sultans’ success this season has mostly depended on the batting of Muhammad Rizwan and Usman Khan, while the bowling has been dominated by Osama Mir and Muhammad Ali.

But the role of Muhammad Rizwan was so prominent in the template of victory that Sultans had set that the story could not have been completed without him. Whether he played a blistering innings to provide a platform for a tough collection, whether he pulled through a struggling innings in traditional fashion to hold an edge, his presence at the crease was indispensable for Sultans.

But United’s research and data-driven approach left Mohammad Rizwan so helpless in this most important battle that despite getting a chance, he was stifled and eventually fell.

The other key factor behind Sultans’ sizzling performance was Usman Khan, who excelled in both unconventional and conventional batting. United’s exploration and Shadab’s planning tested their short-pitch weapon and blocked their initial forays.

Usman Khan also fought well and later turned and hit the same short pitch, but by the time he recovered, the match had progressed and Sultans’ scoreboard was far behind. Had it not been for Iftikhar Ahmed’s final attack, the match would have been completely one-sided on a very favorable pitch for batting.

United’s bowling plans were the epitome of perfection. Shadab Khan’s captaincy was like a Master Class Play and Imad Wasim’s bowling was rich in strategic wisdom and variety, the Sultans’ batsmen were probably not at fault in that they could have put in a better batting effort in response to such excellent bowling. It doesn’t happen.

But as a whole, Sultans’ bowling in the tournament has been better than all the franchises, not just United. The two leading bowlers of the tournament are Muhammad Ali and Osama Mir. So, in the presence of such resources, how can a subordinate captain like Rizwan even think of giving up?

Sultans not only showed excellent bowling but also fought hard in fielding. And Rizwan’s captaincy was also courageous to bring Iftikhar Ahmed into the attack in the death overs and revived the dying contest to such an extent that Low could not extinguish it till the last ball.

As neglected as this PSL has been, such a thorny final could have been the best testament to its quality, where two data-driven teams faced off and despite a middling total, the match went to the last ball.

While it was heartbreaking for Sultans that they were destined to lose their third consecutive final, it was a testament to United that they qualified for their first final in half a decade and became the first team in PSL history to win three titles.