Multan Sultans Saturday trumped Quetta Gladiators by nine runs during the 28th fixture of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2023, being played at the Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi.

Chasing 263 to win, Quetta could 253-8 in 20 overs as Abbas Afridi took five wickets including a hattrick. The defeat means Quetta are now out from play offs while Peshawar Zalmi go through.

The match aggregate of 515 runs was a new world record, beating the match aggregate of 501 runs between the Titans and Knights in the CSA T20 Challenge in 2022.

Gladiators, who needed to achieve the target in 10.3 overs and then hope Peshawar Zalmi lose heavily on Sunday to progress to the playoffs, ended their campaign with three wins and seven defeats. Karachi Kings are presently languishing at the bottom of the table, but will have chance to finish ahead of the Gladiators when they will face Lahore Qaladars at the Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday. However, to make it happen, they will have to beat the side that has recorded seven victories and has already qualified for the 15 March Qualifier.

The result also meant Peshawar Zalmi with four wins will feature in the 16 March Eliminator 1 irrespective of how their Sunday’s match against Islamabad United pans out. In contrast, if Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi, they will move to 14 points and will take on Lahore Qalandars in the 15 March Qualifier. In the scenario of Islamabad United losing on Sunday, they will finish on 12 points and third on points table on net run-rate, meaning they will take on Peshawar Zalmi in the 16 March Eliminator 1.

Quetta Gladiators’ hopes for a miracle ended before the end of the fifth over when Jason Roy (6) and Martin Guptill (37) were back in the dressing room with the scoreboard reading 60, which soon became 68 for three with the demise of Mohammad Hafeez (1).

Iftikhar Ahmed and Omair Bin Yousuf entertained a packed house with lusty hitting in a 104-run fourth wicket stand from 57 balls. The partnership ended when Iftikhar departed after scoring a 31-ball 53 with four fours and four sixes. Omair soon followed Iftikhar after an entertaining 36-ball 67 with seven fours and three sixes.

Umar Akmal scored 28 from 10 balls with two fours and three sixes, while Qais Ahmed and Naveen-ul-Haq also had some fun, scoring 17 each from seven balls apiece.

Abbas Afridi took wickets of Mohmmad Nawaz, Umaid Asif and Umar Akmal off his successive balls to become the fifth bowler in HBL PSL to claim a hat-trick after Mohammad Amir, Junaid Khan, Imran Tahir and Mohammad Sami. He had earlier dismissed Mohammad Hafeez and Iftikhar Ahmed to finish with figures of 4-0-47-5.

While Abbas Afridi (22) snatched the Fazal Mahmood cap for leading wicket-taker from team-mate Ihsanullah (20), Mohammad Rizwan has retained the Hanif Mohammad Cap for leading run-scorer. Rizwan has 483 runs from 10 matches, while Babar Azam has scored 416 runs from nine matches.

Multan Sultans Usman Khan had a dream debut in the Pakistan Super League Saturday as he announced his arrival in a record-breaking fashion.

Usman hit the fastest Pakistan Super League ton on just 36 balls as Sultans posted 262-3 against Quetta Gladiators.

Multan's score was the ninth highest total in all T20 cricket. The record for the highest total stayed with Afghanistan who posted 278 runs against Ireland in 2019. 

His ton was also the 11th fastest in all T20s and ninth fastest in the T20 cricket leagues.

Usman’s ton is also the second-fastest century by a Pakistan cricketer in T20 cricket.

In 2020, Khushdil Shah scored 100 runs in just 35 balls, which included eight fours and nine sixes, in a domestic T20 match.

https://twitter.com/thePSLt20/status/1634568173746892800

After putting into bat first, Usman went berserk from the word go and put Quetta Gladiators bowlers to the sword to register the fastest century of the Pakistan Super League in just 36 balls with the help of 7 sixes and 11 boundaries.

Usman broke his teammate Rilee Rossouw’s record that he made last night against Peshawar Zalmi. Rossouw scored a 41-ball 100 to better Quetta Gladiator’s Jason Roy’s 44-ball record that could only stand for two days as well.

https://twitter.com/thePSLt20/status/1634585338847821826

Usman was eventually stumped out on a wide delivery off Muhammad Nawaz after scoring 120 runs off 43 balls hitting 9 sixes and 12 boundaries in the process.

Sultans registered also the highest total of 91-0 in the first powerplay and reached 100 runs mark in just 6.3 overs.

Captain Muhammad Rizwan registered another half century off 26 balls as the Sultans openers registered 157-runpartnership for the first wicket, the fourth highest in the PSL.

https://twitter.com/thePSLt20/status/1634567304259182595

Rizwan was out after scoring 55 runs off 29 balls. Rilee Rossouw scored 15 off 9 balls hitting one six and a boundary.

Kieron Pollard remained unbeaten for his 14-ball 23 that included one six and two boundaries and Tim Davis remained unconquered for his 43 off 25 balls hitting four sixes and a boundary.

Qais Ahmed, the most successful bowler for Quetta with two wickets, also registered an unwanted recorded of bowling the most expensive spell of four overs conceding 77 runs. Previously, the record was held by Shahid Afridi when he conceded 67 run against Islamabad United while bowling for Quetta.