The Islamabad United players walked around the stadium with Palestine flags after winning against Multan Sultans in the final match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) on Monday, March 18, at the National Stadium in Karachi.
As they celebrated their victory, the Pakistani players waved the Palestine flags to show support during the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip. Shadab Khan, the captain of Islamabad, led the group, with other players like Hunain Shah and Imad Wasim joining him.
Their gesture of carrying the Palestinian flag during the celebrations was appreciated by fans and spectators, emphasizing the importance of using sports to raise awareness of social and humanitarian issues and to stand in solidarity with others.
You can watch the Islamabad United players with the Palestinian flags below:
After the game, at the press conference, a reporter asked Shadab about the hand sign he made and why it mattered.
“It was very important. This was an idea that we arrived at mutually, and we did that as we got the opportunity. We will try to do whatever we can from our end,” Shadab said.
Islamabad United clinch their third PSL title
In the final match of the ninth season of the Pakistan Super League, Islamabad United faced off against Multan Sultans, led by Mohammad Rizwan. It was a very close game, but Shadab Khan and his team managed to win the trophy for the third time, which is a record.
Multan Sultans batted first and scored 159 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in their allotted 20 overs. Most of their batters played well, with Rizwan scoring 26 runs at a run-a-ball pace, Usman Khan making 57 runs from 40 balls, and Iftikhar Ahmed contributing an unbeaten 32 runs from 20 balls. This total was enough to give them a decent score to defend.
Imad Wasim did great with the ball for the United team, getting five wickets for 23 runs. Captain Shadab Khan also did well, taking three wickets for 32 runs in his four overs.
Islamabad team lost two wickets early on in the game, as Khushdil Shah got rid of Colin Munro and Agha Salman. Martin Guptil, the opening batsman, played steadily, scoring a solid 50 runs despite losing partners at the other end.
The match was really close, with Islamabad needing eight runs to win off the last over. With just one run needed off the last two balls, a wicket fell, increasing the pressure. But Hunain Shah managed to hit a boundary off the final ball, securing the win for his team, and they grabbed their third title.