Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram felicitated Islamabad United all-rounder Imad Wasim after his match-winning performance against Peshawar Zalm in the second knockout match of Pakistan Super League (PSL) Season 9 at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi on Saturday.
Zalmi’s Saim Ayub took the first two wickets to put United on the back foot as they soon led 21-3 in just 3.3 overs during their 186-run chase.
Also, Martin Guptill was removed by Khurram Shahzad and Islamabad were 50-4 in six overs with certain defeat. However, Imad came to bat and slowly built an innings that eventually took the two-time PSL champions to another final.
In an interview on a local media channel, Wasim Akram praised Imad’s body language as despite the loss of five wickets and the huge target he faced, he did not let the pressure get the better of him and was in complete control.
“It can be a bit confusing when Imad Wasim comes out to bat in such a situation, but he was completely calm. Look at his body language, it was a dangerous sign for Peshawar when he started,” said Akram.
“When a player is calm, it means he is just waiting for his time and that’s what happened. He scored 59 off 40 balls, with a strike count of 147, but his innings was much better than the stats show. The situation he got into, the way he built a partnership with Haider Ali,” he added.
Remember, after losing the first wickets, United needed an anchor and Imad Wasim stepped up. He first partnered with Azam Khan and later with Haider Ali.
Azam scored 22 off 17 balls with the help of a four and a six with Luke Wood finishing on 41 runs.
Haider arrived with a mission and attacked the Zalmi bowlers from the start. The duo took a calculated risk while keeping pace with the required run-rate to produce 98 runs for the sixth wicket.
Imad scored his first fifty of the season and remained unbeaten on 59 off 40 balls, while Haider smashed a 29-ball 52 with five massive sixes and two fours.
