The players walked all around the stadium waving the flag.
Following their victory over Multan Sultans in the final match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season nine, Islamabad United players celebrated by waving the Palestine flag at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi.
As they expressed their gratitude to the fans for their unwavering support, Islamabad players including Hunain Shah, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, and several others were spotted waving the Palestine flag while circling the stadium grounds.
The players did the celebration in solidarity with the Palestinian people who have been under Israel oppression since the Hamas attack on October 7 which Israel claimed killed over 1400 people.
During the celebrations, it was noticeable that only Pakistani players from the Islamabad team were seen holding the flag, as the international players were not present to partake in the festivities.
Shadab Khan’s Islamabad secured their third PSL championship, adding to their previous triumphs in 2016 and 2018, thus solidifying their status as the most accomplished team in the tournament’s annals.
The match concluded dramatically as Hunain Shah sealed victory with a boundary off the last ball, showcasing his composure under pressure.
Islamabad found themselves at 55-3 after losing three wickets in the powerplay. However, the experienced Martin Guptill and the explosive Azam Khan formed a vital partnership, adding 47 runs to the scoreboard and reclaiming control of the match.
Unfortunately, a slight misunderstanding between Guptill and Azam led to the former being run out after a commendable innings of 50 runs off 32 balls. This setback left Islamabad United at 102-4 in the 12.5th over of the match.Further down the batting order, following Azam’s dismissal, Imad Wasim, who played a crucial role in the eliminators, and Naseem Shah both made significant contributions with the bat, scoring 19 and 17 runs respectively.
In the opening over of the first innings, Multan Sultans narrowly avoided a major setback when their captain, Mohammad Rizwan, was dismissed by Islamabad’s fast bowler Naseem Shah. However, Rizwan was granted a reprieve as it was determined that the 20-year-old bowler had overstepped the line, giving the 31-year-old batsman another chance at the crease.Despite their efforts, the Sultans found little respite as Imad Wasim swiftly dismissed the in-form Yasir Khan and David Willey in the second over of the match.
Following the early dismissals, Multan Sultans opted for a composed approach, with Rizwan and Usman Khan constructing a vital 53-run partnership. Despite appearing to have control over the game, Multan faced a setback when their captain departed in the 10th over after contributing 26 runs, including three boundaries.
Following Rizwan’s departure, Multan Sultans encountered a flurry of wickets, but Usman remained steadfast at the crease, counterattacking the Islamabad pacers. The UAE international soon reached his half-century milestone; however, his innings was short-lived as Shadab Khan dismissed him after scoring a brisk 57 runs off 40 deliveries.
As the match progressed, Multan Sultans seemed poised to fall short of the 130-run mark, having lost nine wickets for 127 runs with just three overs remaining. However, Iftikhar’s resilient innings ensured that Rizwan’s team reached a competitive total, guiding them to a respectable score by the end of the innings.
