While Imad Wasim starred with the ball in the final of the recently concluded Pakistan Super League 2024 (PSL 2024), he has been attracting attention for all the wrong reasons. The former Pakistan all-rounder starred with both bat and ball as Islamabad United beat Multan Sultans to win the PSL 2024.
The victory made Islamabad United the most successful team in the history of the competition, as they became the first team to win the tournament three times. On the other hand, Multan Sultans lost the PSL final for the third time in a row.
Talking about Imad Wasim, the veteran all-rounder was caught smoking in the locker room during the match. The cameras captured him smoking a cigarette while he was sitting in the dressing room. He tried to hide the cigarette but the damage was already done.
As expected, he was facing strong backlash on social media. And while many expected him to apologize for his conduct, Imad Wasim laughed off the criticism by celebrating the victory over Multan Sultans with a “cigarette celebration”.
Name in Jalti
Imad Wasim cigarette celebration pic.twitter.com/Iy7k8FxnMu
– ٰImran Siddique (@imransiddique89) March 18, 2024
Imad Wasim mocks PCB:
Imad shows how it’s done… Well, not batting or bowling, but his cigarette smoking skills 🚬 😃#ImadWasim #IUvMS #HBLPSLFinal pic.twitter.com/C7B0KljKWz
– Kamran Ali (@Kam007_tweet) March 18, 2024
Talking about Imad Wasim’s performance in the PSL final, he took five wickets for just 23 runs to help Islamabad United restrict Multan Sultans to 159/9. He dismissed Yasir Khan and David Willey in his first over to reduce Sultans to 14 for 2 in the second over.
He later dismissed Johnson Charles (4), Khushdil Shah (11) and Chris Jordan (0) to dash Sultans’ hopes of finishing strongly. With the bat, he scored an unbeaten 19 and helped Islamabad United recover from 129 for 7 to reach the total on the last ball of the game.
Imad Wasim was named Player of the Game for his brilliant performance in the game. Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, he said: “I didn’t know it would turn out to be the best tournament of all time. I just wanted to have an impact on the team’s victory.
“It was a new experience – picking up five wickets in the final. I learned a lesson that we should have ended sooner. I am happy playing cricket. Doing everything possible to contribute to the team. I have 4-5 years of cricket left,” he added.