Recent Match Report – Sultans vs United 7th Match 2022/23

by

Multan Sultans 190 for 4 (Miller 52, Rizwan 50, Pollard 32, Raees 1-25) defeated Islamabad United 138 (Van der Dussen 49, Munro 31, Afridi 4-22, Ilyas 2-12) by 52 runs

After two wins against struggling teams, this one from Multan Sultans was not so much a victory as it was a statement of intent. A terrific bowling performance against a formidable Islamabad United side saw them dismiss the two-time champions and bowl them out for 138 inside 18 overs. They never let United match the required percentage, and the chase of 191 disappeared every time it looked like it was going to start.

Ilyas was both economical and devastating at the top, keeping a lid on the top order with precise lines and variations of pace while removing both openers, Paul Stirling and Hassan Nawaz. When a third wicket stand between the devastating duo of Colin Munro and Rassie van der Dussen – each of whom had played their part in Karachi Kings’ victory over Islamabad earlier this week – threatened to put United back on track, it came it’s Mir’s turn to impress. . An almost unread googly kissed Munro’s outside edge to the keeper before Shadab Khan holed out in the deep on the same twist of the match.

What followed was a thrilling, high-quality battle between Azam Khan and Ihsanullah, the bowler who played with the batter in the way he varied his lengths. Azam struggled to get away from the short ball or the yorker. In the 12th and 14th overs, as the run-rate soared after 11, United’s leading middle-order man managed just one run in eight deliveries against the PSL’s top wicket-keeper.

Afridi followed up the killer blow with three wickets in the 17th over. Van der Dussen was still on 49, but a change of pace brought him over the top before Faheem Ashraf and Mohammad Wasim were run off back-to-back deliveries. Ihsanullah returned to apply the coup de grace, cleaning up Tom Curran and Abrar Ahmed off successive deliveries to put the game to bed and claim the reward his performance in the spell deserved.

Sultans had earlier started steadily with the bat after losing Shan Masoon early, thanks to a half-century from Mohammad Rizwan and a 30-ball 36 from Rilee Rossouw. The pair have tended to complement each other well during the early stage of this PSL, particularly with Masood struggling for pace at present. Rizwan took on a more energetic role, however, finding the timing easier than Rossouw. He brought up his fifty in 37 balls before being trapped in front by Shadab.
This brought together David Miller and Kieron Pollard and perhaps the passing game that took the game away from United. In 40 balls, the two smashed 78 runs, with Miller reaching 52 off 25 balls. Shadab and Wasim would come in for particular punishment, with Miller plundering 24 in an over off the Islamabad captain. At the death, Wasim took 28 in his last two overs, with Pollard closing the innings with three consecutive fours.

Pollard would later say that Multan were aiming for 200, but the 190 they posted proved more than enough for a white-hot bowling line-up.

Leave a Comment