Multan Sultans put on a dominant performance against Quetta Gladiators, winning by nine wickets in a one-sided match at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.
After winning the toss, Multan Sultans put Quetta Gladiators to bat first. It was Ihsanullah who stole the show with his bowling brilliance, ending up with a career-best figure of 5-12, including a maiden over, to bowl out Quetta Gladiators for a below-par total of 110.
The only success the visitors got in the game was through Nuwan Thushara, who got the wicket of Shan Masood.
In reply to the 111-run target, Multan Sultans were stunning with the bat, led by South Africa’s Rilee Rossouw, who hammered an unbeaten 78 off 42 deliveries.
He hit nine boundaries and three maximums to guide his team to an easy victory. Sultans captain Mohammad Rizwan scored 28 not out, while being a mere spectator at the non-striker’s end.
The former Gladiator men finished the game in style by hitting Mohammad Nawaz for two maximums on successive deliveries.
Ihsanullah was well-supported by pacers Abass Afridi and Sameen Gul, who claimed two wickets each from the home side.
Gladiators suffered the first blow in the shape of Martin Guptill’s wicket in the second over, followed by the wicket of Abdul Bangalzai (1). After that, it was all Ihsanullah’s show.
He bowled Gladiators captain Sarfaraz Ahmed (2), then removed Jason Roy (27) and Iftikhar Ahmed (golden duck) on successive deliveries. At that stage, Gladiators were reduced to 46/5.
Mohammad Nawaz and Umar Akmal tried to stable the innings but were stopped in their tracks by Usama Mir. He removed Nawaz (14). Akmal (11) was the fourth victim of Ihsanullah, who completed the fifer by castling Naseem Shah (1).
Mohammad Hasain played a good hand of 22, supported by all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez, who departed after scoring 18.
Kudos to Multan Sultans for bouncing back after losing the opening match of the Pakistan Super League to Islamabad United.
They were forced to make a change in their XI after Shahnawaz Dahani fractured his index finger and was ruled out from the tournament.
He was replaced by Abbas Afridi, who proved his worth by taking two wickets. Meanwhile, Rilee Rossouw was also back in the side in place of Usman Khan.
Quetta Gladiators, on the other hand, are off to a bad start, suffering a heavy defeat in their opening match of the tournament. They were outplayed by the home side in all departments of the game, failing to put up a competitive total and then failing to defend it.
They will need to regroup and come back stronger in their next match if they hope to turn things around.
