Sports Desk
Multan: Multan Sultans triumphed over Karachi Kings by 3 runs in the 11th match of the eighth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) at the Multan Cricket Stadium in Multan on Wednesday after Kings failed to chase the mammoth target of 197 runs set for them.
Put to bat first, Sultans posted a mammoth target of 197 — thanks to a sensational century from Mohammad Rizwan — before its great bowling display restricted Kings to 193-5 in 20 overs.
In a thrilling contest as the second innings came to a close, Abbas Afridi defended 22 runs in the last over to help his side secure victory.
Skipper Imad Wasim tried his best, scoring 46 runs off 26 balls but it wasn’t enough to chase down the target.
James Vince and Matthew Wade put on a 72-run partnership for the first wicket to put their
side in command in reply to the big target of 197 runs.
Vince reached his half-century in only 20 balls. The English batter hit six fours and four maximums to complete his fifty.
However, spinner Usama Mir struck for his side as he trapped Wade for an LBW (leg-between-wicket) to break the partnership. The left-handed batter departed after scoring 20 runs in 14 balls.
The dangerous Vince had to depart in the 10th over after a mix-up be-tween him and Haider Ali. He had to walk off the field after a run-out following scoring 75 runs off just 34 balls.
The next batter to fall was Haider, who tried to play a cut shot off Khushdil Shah but the ball ended up in Rizwan’s gloves after an edge.
The left-arm spinner sent Haider Ali back to the pavilion after James Vince departed following a run-out.
As the required run rate kept increasing, veteran all-rounder Shoaib Malik tried to hit Abbas for a six, but he couldn’t cross the fence and Kieron Pollard took a sensational catch to send him packing.
The PSL 8’s top wicket-taker Ihsanullah went wicket-less but bowled his crucial four overs at a miserly economy of 4.25.
For Multan Sultans, Abbas claimed two wickets, and Usama and Khusdil took a wicket each.
Earlier, skipper Rizwan scored a magnificent century to help Multan Sul-tans set a target of 197 runs against Karachi Kings. Sultans made a good start, but Shoaib Malik gave Kings a much-needed breakthrough as he sent Shan Masood back to the pavilion, reducing the home side to 85-1.
Shan, who struggled in the previous games, rediscovered his form and partnered up with skipper Rizwan to put his side in a strong position. The two batters stitched an 85-run partnership for the first wicket.
However, the left-handed batter had to walk off the field after scoring 51 runs, laced up with six boundaries and a maximum.
In-form Rilee Rossouw joined the party and continued from where he left off in the previous match. The South African player started to hit bound-aries, but it was Rizwan who punished the opposition’s bowlers the most.
The two batters put on a sensational partnership of 109 runs for the sec-ond wicket, but 77 runs of the partnership belonged to Rizwan.
Rossouw perished in the last over after scoring 29 runs off 21 balls.
For Karachi, Malik and Mohammad Umar claimed a wicket each.
Playing XIs:
Multan Sultans: Shan Masood, Mohammad Rizwan (wk/c), Rilee Rossouw, David Miller, Kieron Pollard, Khushdil Shah, Carlos Brathwaite, Usama Mir, Abbas Afridi, Ihsanullah, Mohammad Ilyas.
Karachi Kings: James Vince, Haider Ali, Matthew Wade(w), Irfan Niaz Khan, Shoaib Malik, Imad Wasim(c), Ben Cutting, Aamer Yamin, Akif Javed, Muhammad Umar, Imran Tahir.
