On Wednesday night in Lahore, Steve Smith’s Pakistan Super League campaign came to a violent and emotional end. The Australian star lost his cool after a tense exchange on the pitch and his team was knocked out of the tournament.
The Multan Sultans batter was dismissed early in the Eliminator 1 clash against the Hyderabad Kingsmen at Gaddafi Stadium. Smith, who managed just 13 off 10 balls, miscued a shot off Mohammad Ali towards square leg, where Maaz Sadaqat held on to the catch. What followed was quite surprising. Sadaqat, who had dropped Smith just moments earlier, celebrated with visible intensity, throwing the ball down in excitement after completing the catch.
The send-off did not go down well with Smith. Clearly frustrated, he walked off without engaging, but the cameras later caught him venting his anger in the dressing room. In a rare display of emotion, Smith was seen forcefully smashing his bat against the ground before taking his seat, still visibly upset. Former Australia batter Greg Blewett rightfully pointed out in the commentary that, “You don’t see that very often.”
PSL 2026: Hyderabad surge ahead as Multan fall apart
The game quickly slipped away from Multan after Smith’s dismissal. His wicket triggered a collapse, with the side losing five wickets for just 24 runs. Shan Masood tried to hold things together with an unbeaten 69 off 46 balls, but the total of 159 for 9 was never going to be enough.
Hyderabad Kingsmen had no trouble in the chase. They reached the target in just 15.2 overs with eight wickets in hand. Sadaqat capped off an eventful night with an unbeaten 64 off 33 balls, while Usman Khan matched him with a fluent 64 off 35. Their partnership sealed a comfortable win and pushed Hyderabad into Eliminator 2, where they will face Islamabad United for a spot in the final against Peshawar Zalmi.
Despite the disappointing exit and the emotional reaction, Smith’s overall season still stands out. He finished with 380 runs in 11 innings at a strike rate above 160, matching Sahibzada Farhan as Multan’s top run-scorer.
The PSL was also an important part of Smith’s bigger plan. With an eye on the 2028 Olympics, where cricket is set to feature after more than 100 years, he has been actively playing T20 leagues to stay in contention and adapt his game to the format. He had a terrific Big Bash League (BBL) 2025/26 season with Sydney Sixers as well.
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