Imad Wasim, an all-rounder for Islamabad United, got caught in a scandal after a spectacular performance in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) final against the Multan Sultans. Even after playing a major part in Islamabad United’s thrilling third PSL title win, including five wickets in a row to restrict Multan Sultans to 159/9 and an unbeaten 19 runs during the successful run chase. Imad Wasim grabbed the spotlight for the wrong reasons.
Imad Wasim named Player of the Match for his excellent on-field performance in spite of the incident
Soon after his outstanding performance on the field, social media users shared videos of the player smoking in the team’s dressing room during the match’s 18th over. The incident sparked objections, overshadowing his excellent on-field performance. In spite of the smoking incident, Wasim was named Player of the Match for his superb all-around performance, which helped Islamabad United win the PSL final, achieving their first trophy since 2018. Multan Sultans, who were in their fourth continuous final, came in second for the third straight season. Despite winning the championship in 2021, they finished second in the next two editions, with Lahore Qalandars winning back-to-back titles.
Imad’s potential return for the T20 World Cup
Imad Wasim’s regular excellent performances in the recent Pakistan Super League have positioned him as a possible wildcard for this year’s T20 World Cup. His significant performances in the following matches, including a match-winning 59 not out against Peshawar Zalmi, caught attention. Despite his retirement from international cricket in November last year, Pakistan Test captain and Islamabad United teammate Shadab Khan is hopeful about Imad’s potential return for the T20 World Cup, believing that his bowling style is suited to the conditions in the United States and the Caribbean.
The player’s previous performances in the T20 World Cup, when he took four wickets in six matches in 2021, highlighted his potential contribution to the Pakistan team. While not playing in the most recent competition in Australia, he is available for return if skipper Shaheen Afridi calls him up.
Imad Wasim scored four innings of his bowling quota in Multan’s 17th over. Then he exited the field and went to relax in the locker room. Multan was in trouble at the end of his four overs, having lost nine wickets for 127 runs. During this time, the all-rounder stepped inside the dressing room to light a cigarette. The 18th over of Multan’s innings was started. Iftikhar was enjoying the victory of Islamabad’s Nasim Shah. As the player sat in the dressing room, enjoying a cigarette it was yet once again captured on TV cameras.
When this image first appeared on the internet, it quickly became popular. The moment of Imad smoking a cigarette in the Multan Sultans dressing room went viral on social media, and the player received a lot of criticism after he finished four overs of his bowling quota in the seventeenth over.
Due to Imad Wasim Pakistan Super League was called ‘Pakistan Cigarette League’
Videos quickly surfaced all over the internet of a well-known Pakistani cricketer, Imad Wasim and sparked controversy at the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL) final. Smoking a cigarette on the field during the match, this coincided with the holy month of Ramadan. Smoking during Ramadan is severely restricted for devout Muslims. The event caused rage on social media, with many saying that Wasim violated Islamic traditions. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has not yet commented on the situation, and it is unknown whether any disciplinary action will be taken.
Although Wasim’s cigarette controversy sparked judgment, many referred to the Pakistan Super League as the ‘Pakistan Cigarette League’. Of course, Wasim’s team had the last laugh on that night of criticism. His group, Islamabad United, won the trophy for the record third time after defeating Multan by two wickets.
