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Watch: In a surprising finish, Multan Sultans’ Abbas Afridi defended six runs from the last four balls of the match against Karachi Kings after conceding 16 of his first two legal bowls.
Afridi was apparently having a night to forget, with a head-high floodlight, some big wides and a 107-metre shot from Ben Cutting that put the Karachi Kings in charge, but turned things around in sensational style.
The match had already been a pulsating match up until that point. Mohammad Rizwan had overcome a slow start to work his way to his maiden PSL hundred, going from 50 to 100 in 18 balls, but it looked like it wouldn’t be enough as a masterclass from James Vince propelled Karachi Kings over 100 in the ninth Top.
His dismissal brought another turn, and with Ihsanullah delivering another fiery spell, bowling his four overs for just 17 runs, Multan Sultans were in the box.
With two overs to go, Karachi Kings needed 40 to win. Imad Wasim hit consecutive sixes to keep his team in the chase, but still, with 22 needed from the last, it looked done.
In two legal deliveries of carnage, the tables have turned completely. Afridi opens with a head-on beam, shot imperiously for six by Wasim. The free hit was pushed for a single, before a wide nearly missed the cut. Afridi found his radar again for the next ball but delivered it right into Cutting’s batting arc, with a 107-metre six, the biggest in the PSL yet, making the Karachi Kings favourites. After another wide, and with six needed out of four, Afridi was attracting sympathy from on-air commentators.
Then, somehow, he turned the tables. A short ball brought up a play and an error from Cutting, before a slower mis-pitch singled Kieron Pollard in deep, leading Irfan Khan to face his first ball with six for two needed. A single put Wasim up front, but the Karachi Kings captain could not find the barrier off the last ball, with Afridi’s comeback complete.
Afridi, a 21-year-old fast bowler, has already shined in this season’s PSL, achieving an excellent catch and bowl.
Watch the final drama below:
Drama. Drama. Drama.
All the action in the 20th is over
#HBLPSL8 | #SabSitarayHumaray | #MSvKK pic.twitter.com/DKebOW941u
—PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) February 22, 2023
The post Watch: Beamer, six, wide, nervous – Abbas Afridi retires in the final after the start of horror to seal the pulsating PSL thriller that first appeared on SportsNS.
