On Tuesday night at Multan Cricket Stadium, the Multan Sultans defeated Islamabad United by five wickets to win their second consecutive PSL 9 match. Due to superb bowling from Mohammad Ali and Abbas Afridi, the Multan Sultans were able to restrict Islamabad United to 144 in 20 overs. Reeza Hendricks’ determined half-century helped the Sultans chase their target in the last over.
Pitch report and toss update
The Multan Cricket Stadium have typical batting-friendly wicket. Because of the nature of the pitch and the small size of the ground, the batters can score a lot of runs here.
While slower balls and off-cutters can be useful tools in a bowler’s arsenal, bowlers often find them challenging. In the latter part of the play, spinners can get assistance as the wicket gets old. The Multan Sultans won the toss and chose to bowl first.
Multan Sultans took couple of early wickets to put the United under pressure
The choice by Multan Sultans to field first paid off as Islamabad United lost two early wickets. Maintaining his form from the previous match, left-arm bowler David Willey gave the Multan Sultans their first breakthrough when he dismissed first-over hitter Alex Hales for just two runs in the third over.
The next over was dramatic, with Colin Munro being caught on the first ball, but the bowler overstepped, giving the opening batsman for Islamabad another opportunity. Ali made amends for his actions by smacking Munro’s stumps after just three deliveries. Multan took a commanding advantage in the game when both batters were out of the game within the powerplay due to the tight squeeze.
After that, a strong 68-run partnership between Agha Salman (52 off 43) and Jordan Cox (41 off 28) got the innings going. Luckily, Khushdil Shah was the one who dropped them a couple times. After the pair got their eyes on the ball, boundaries started to fall, and after 11 overs, United’s total was 80/2.
Bowlers made a comeback for the Sultans after breaking the partnership
The spinners had some grip available, and Mir accurately probed to restrain the batters. The third wicket stand was broken by leg-spinner Usama Mir, who trapped Cox leg-before in the 12th over. Only 13 runs from 10, including a four and a six, could Azam Khan muster before Willey caught him at long-on, giving Usama his second wicket of the evening.
Islamabad United was reduced to 105-5 in 14.4 overs when Imad Wasim scored a three-ball duck. Islamabad also lacked tactical acumen, and considering his outstanding performance in the first game, captain Shadab Khan’s decision to move down to no. 7 seemed puzzling. When he took the bat, Islamabad’s innings were utterly chaotic.
Salman and Shadab both tried, but Sultan’s death bowling was spot on. With just four runs off the final 11 balls and four wickets lost, the innings came to a disastrous end, as the United finished their innings with a below-par total of 144. Ali took three wickets for a just 19 runs. Usama claimed two wickets, while Abbas claimed three as well. Willey also returned with one scalp.
Rizwan and Hendricks held the innings of the Multan Sultans after an early wicket
Islamabad needed early wickets because they had a low score to defend, and Naseem Shah struck in his opening over. Dawid Malan was forced to return for a two-ball duck after Naseem shattered his middle stumps, giving the United an early advantage. If Imad Wasim hadn’t dropped the catch at cover point, the pacer would have had Rizwan on the first ball.
After putting Mohammad Rizwan and Reeza Hendricks together in the middle, the two were able to take out Naseem’s amazing new ball spell. They put together a strong partnership that yielded 71 runs, stabilizing the innings until Rizwan (43 runs) was dismissed by Shadab, who had come into the attack in the 11th over.
The South African batsman was sluggish at first but gained confidence as his innings went on. Yasir Khan made eight off of eleven before Imad got him, courtesy of a fantastic relay catch at deep midwicket by Cox and Hales.
Iftikhar got the Multan Sultans over the line in the last over finish
Following the captain’s departure, Islamabad began to exert significant pressure on the game. The slower pace of the track combined with the older ball made it easier for the bowlers to slow down the scoring rate. With 39 required off the last 24 deliveries, the required rate skyrocketed to 9.75 runs per over.
Islamabad was right in it before Hendricks changed gears, given the nature of the pitch. In the 17th over, Hendricks faced Shadab and went to smash a six and two fours on three straight deliveries, completing his half-century and moving his team closer to their target.
The following over saw Hendricks get out, Iftikhar Ahmed and Willey, facing Mills in the final over, complete the remaining four runs to finish the game for Multan Sultans, with one ball to spare. Naseem, who took two wickets for 27 runs in four overs, was Islamabad United’s top bowler. Mills, Imad, and Shadab each had a wicket.
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