Multan Sultans Sunday beat Quetta Gladiators in a thrilling encounter during the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) season nine at the Multan Cricket Stadium.
The Gladiators’ hitters were unable to cause any damage to their opponents, and Mohammad Rizwan’s team was able to effectively defend the 181-run goal thanks to their accuracy with the ball.
When chasing the target, the Gladiators got off to a sluggish start, scoring just 8 runs in their opening two overs against David Willey and Muhammad Ali.
Jason Roy fell victim to Ali in the third over, and soon after, Saud Shakeel lost his wicket to Willey in the sixth over, leaving their side at 42-2.
Following the early setbacks, skipper Rilee Rossouw and youngster Khawaja Nafay steadied the innings, forging a 60-run partnership.
Initially in control of the chase, the Gladiators’ fortunes shifted when Rossouw was unexpectedly dismissed, tilting the momentum in favor of the Sultans. Subsequent wickets fell steadily, limiting the visiting side to 167 runs in their allotted overs, resulting in their first defeat of PSL 9 by a margin of 13 runs.
In their batting innings, the Sultans commenced aggressively, with opener Usman Khan striking three boundaries off Akeal Hosein in the first over, ending it at 14/0. However, Khan was dismissed by mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed in the third over after contributing 14 runs.
Mohammad Rizwan anchored the innings, forming a vital 79-run partnership with Hendricks, during which he completed his half-century. Rizwan departed after scoring 51 runs off 42 balls, featuring six boundaries.
After Rizwan’s departure, Quetta appeared to have control, limiting the Sultans to 122-2 in 16 overs. However, Hendricks and Tahir’s onslaught in the final four overs altered the game’s course, propelling the home side to a competitive total.
Hendricks was dismissed in the last over after scoring 72 runs off 47 balls, while Tahir remained unbeaten on 35 off 22.
Just before the conclusion of the Sultans’ innings, a delivery struck Quetta’s wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfaraz Ahmed on the head, leading to his replacement by Mohammad Sajjad as a concussion substitute.
