Clinical Multan Sultans Wednesday defeated Quetta Gladiators by nine wickets in the third match of the ongoing eighth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) at the Multan Cricket Stadium.
Explosive batter Rilee Rossouw led the charge for the Sultans as they easily chased down 111 runs with 39 balls in hand.
Impressive Rossouw brought up his eighth PSL 50 off 33 balls to help Sultans finish off the job with the bat. He scored 78 not-out off just 42 balls laced with nine boundaries and three maximums.
It was Ihsanullah’s day today as the 20-year-old bowler took five wickets to help Sultans bowl out Gladiators for 110. Ihsanullah shined brightly with his speedy deliveries and bagged back-to-back wickets to dominate in just his second match of the debut PSL season. He claimed five wickets and conceded just 12 runs in his four overs.
Apart from Ihsanullah, Sultans’ other two pacers, Sameen Gul, and Abbas Afridi gave their side an early boost by claiming a wicket each.
Sameen struck in his first over as aggressive batter Martin Guptill was sent packing after scoring seven runs.
The next to fall was Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, who was caught by mid-on fielder Kieron Pollard off Abbas Afridi.
Meanwhile, Quetta lost Sarfaraz Ahmed after Ihsanullah bowled a fiery delivery to topple the stumps. The skipper went back after scoring only two runs.
Ihsanullah struck again in his second over, as he sent destructive batter Jason Roy packing after scoring 27 runs.
The tall bowler continued to impress with his fiery pace. He trapped in-form Iftikhar Ahmed for an lbw.
After all three pacers played their part, Usama Mir delivered for the home side, trapping Mohammad Nawaz for an lbw on the last ball of his second over, reducing Quetta two 66-6 in 12 overs.
The Gladiators lost one more wicket to none other than Ihsanullah, who bowled a deadly bouncer that hit Umar Akmal’s bat and was caught behind by Mohammad Rizwan.
The right-arm pacer finally completed his five-for after bowling out Naseem Shah (1) with a brilliant delivery.
Despite having some top batters of the format, Mohammad Hasnain was the second top-scorer for Quetta, gathering 22 runs off 20 balls before being sent back to the pavilion by Sameen.
Quetta’s innings ended after veteran batter Mohammad Hafeez fell to Abbas after scoring 18 runs.
While chasing, Sultans lost Shan Masood earlier but Rossouw and Rizwan carried the innings superbly. Nuwan Thushara gave Gladiators an early breakthrough as he sent opener Masood back to the pavilion.
In defence of the paltry target, Thushara struck early by trapping Masood (3) for an lbw in the second over.
However, Multan overcame the fall as Rossouw took charge of the run-chase, hitting boundaries.
Rossouw and Rizwan partnered strongly to score 108 runs together as Sultans registered a nine-wicket victory in 13.3 overs.
Playing XIs
Multan Sultan: Mohammad Rizwan (c), Shan Masood, Rilee Rossouw, David Miller, Kieron Pollard, Khushdil Shah, Akeal Hossain, Usama Mir, Sameen Gul, Abbas Afridi, Ihsanullah
Quetta Gladiators: Jason Roy, Martin Guptill, Umar Akmal, Sarfaraz Ahmed (c), Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Nawaz, Abdul Wahid, Bangalzai, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Nuwan Thushara
