Sports Unplugged

Another weekend in Pakistan cricket full of entertainment - what's new in that though? This one took fans by surprise, as both Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir have decided to take their retirements back. These announcements come off the back of certain mysterious meetings between Pakistan Cricket Board officials and the two players. Both have made themselves available for selection for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024. These decisions by Imad and Amir have sparked interesting debates on social media as fans have divided opinions.  Imad's decision of taking his retirement back was relatively well received by fans, as Pakistan desperately needs a quality spin bowling all-rounder in the lower order. Shadab Khan is there, but his bowling isn't as effective anymore. Imad was also in sublime form in the later half of the Pakistan Super League season 9 as he collected three man of the match awards in the playoffs. Also, Mohammad Nawaz's poor form has made it easier for Imad to wal...

  Islamabad United lift the Pakistan Super League title for the third time, with Imad Wasim claiming his third man of the match in a row. It was another thriller of a game, and we saw quite a few in this tournament. Multan Sultans fought till the very last ball, but the 'Boys in red' held their nerves and secured the win. Karachi's crowd didn't disappoint, either, as it was a full house for a Monday night final. Sultans batted first in the big game and put up a below par total on a good batting surface. Muhammad Rizwan's underwhelming tournament continued as he only managed to score 26 runs off 26 balls. Usman Khan on the other hand continued his sublime form and scored yet another fifty. Iftikhar Ahmed also known as Iftimania came to the rescue and powered Sultans to a fighting total of 159 runs. Sultans' batters had no answer to Imad Wasim's spin as he became the only player in PSL history to take five wickets in a final. In the chase, United started off w...

  "ICE RUNNING THROUGH HIS VEINS", Ian Bishop said this on commentary when Imad Wasim won Islamabad United the game against Multan Sultans. Well, almost a week later Imad has repeated something similar against Peshawar Zalmi but this time the knock was really special as it took Islamabad United into the finals after 6 years. This time around, Imad wasn't alone, as he was supported by a reincarnated Haider Ali. United won the toss and bowled first on a flat Karachi surface. This decision of bowling first was questioned by the commentators earlier in the game because just a day before, United defended comfortably against the Gladiators.  Zalmi openers came out all guns blazing, specially young superstar Saim Ayub; he was unstoppable in the power play and was well-supported by the Zalmi skipper. The partnership was broken in the eighth over by Naseem as he removed Babar courtesy an exceptional catch by Shadab. Saim then slowed down after his fifty, but Mohammad Haris on the ...

Islamabad United defeat Quetta Gladiators in Eliminator 1 in a one-sided contest, and move on to face Peshawar Zalmi in Eliminator 2 of Pakistan Super League 9. In the second game of the playoffs Islamabad United took on Quetta Gladiators in a do-or-die game on March 15th, 2024. Earlier in the tournament the Gladiators had defeated United in a low scoring game in Lahore when the two teams met for the first time in the tournament. While the second time around the game was rained out in Rawalpindi. This was the third time the two teams collided and the boys in red outplayed the purple force. Islamabad who are known to be good chasers surprisingly chose to bat first after winning the toss. The two changes made by United turned out to be vital as both Martin Guptill and Obed McCoy delivered impactful performances. Guptill scored a handy fifty and was involved in four different partnerships with Alex Hales, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan and Azam Khan. Hales, Agha, Shadab and Azam all played ...

  Multan Sultans display impeccable consistency once again, as they make it to the final of season 9 of the Pakistan Super League. Their fourth final in a row. In the qualifier of PSL 9 Multan Sultans faced Peshawar Zalmi on March 14th, 2024 where the finalists from last year outplayed Zalmi in all aspects of the game. Peshawar's skipper Babar Azam won the toss and decided to bat first on a sluggish Karachi surface. Babar started off well but wasn't supported by his partners on the other end as the trio of Saim Ayub, Mohammad Haris and Haseebullah failed in the big game. Babar also slowed down as his innings progressed and lost his wicket to a pinpoint yorker by Chris Jordan. Peshawar Zalmi were soon bowled out on a below par total of 146 runs courtesy of brilliant bowling by the Sultans.  The leading wicket taker of the tournament, Usama Mir, added two more wickets to his name and now has 23 wickets in the competition. The experienced fast bowling duo of David Willey and Chri...

  FC Barcelona defeated Napoli 3-1 on Tuesday, March 12th, 2024 at home to secure a spot in Champions League Quarterfinals after 4 years.  Culers played the first leg on Feb 21st, 2024 in Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Napoli, Italy where the game was tied 1-1 at the end of the 90th minute mark. The second leg was never going to be easy against a team like Napoli, but Barça had one thing in their favour and that was playing at home in front of a packed Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys in Barcelona, Spain. The crowd was absolutely electric during the game and the home team did not disappoint them.  Having half of their main players injured, FC Barcelona was depending a lot on experienced guys like Robert Lewandowski and João Cancelo, and they both contributed with a goal each in the game. However, the stars of the show were two young La Masia talents; Fermin Lopez the 20-year-old and Pau Cubarsí the 17-year-old. Fermin Lopez scored the opening goal of the game, putting FC Bar...