Multan Sultans thrash Karachi Kings by 55 runs
Multan Sultans Sunday thrashed Karachi Kings by 55 runs in the third match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season nine played at the Multan Cricket Stadium, reported the 24NewsHD TV channel.
In pursuance of a target of 186 runs, Karachi Kings made 130 runs after losing eight wickets in 20 overs.
Shoaib Malik and Shan Masood offered a bit resistance to the bowling attack of the Multan Sultans but to no avail. They made 53 and 30 runs respectively.
Sultans' bowlers were up to the task as they restricted Kings batters. Pacer Mohammad Ali bagged figures of 3/23 on his PSL debut. He dismissed Daniel Sams, Hasan Ali and Mir Hamza.
David Willey, who was appointed Mohammad Rizwan's deputy of Sultans for PSL 9, took 2/23 while Abbas Afridi returned with figures of 2/16.
Spinner Usama Mir was economical in his spell, bagging figures of 1/14.Veteran Shoaib Malik was the top performer for the Kings, scoring 54 runs off 35 balls.
Skipper Shan Masood made 30 off 31 while West Indies' power-hitter Kieron Pollard provided some resistance in the end to narrow the margin by scoring 28*.
Earlier, Dawid Malan and Reeza Hendricks scored brisk half-centuries to take the home side to 185/2.
Put into bat first, the Sultans registered a commendable total on the board, thanks to a marathon second-wicket partnership between Malan and Hendricks.
The home side, however, had a contrasting start to their innings as Mir Hamza trapped their skipper Mohammad Rizwan (11) lbw on the first delivery of the third over with just 17 runs on the board.
Earlier, Shan Masood, skipper of Karachi Kings won the toss for his team and opted to bowl first against Multan Sultans.
Multan Sultans set a target of 186 runs to Karachi Kings . Sultans made 185/2 with the help of fifties of Reeza Hendricks and Dawid Malan who scored 79 not out and 52 runs respectively.
The Sultans were unfazed by the early blow as Hendricks joined Malan in the middle to give them a steady start.
The duo batted with great determination to keep the scoreboard ticking and registered half-centuries at a decent strike rate.
Their 121-run partnership finally ended in the 17th over when Dawid Malan misjudged Daniel Sams’ slower delivery and launched the ball straight to substitute fielder Irfan Khan at deep midwicket.
Malan smashed four boundaries and a six on his way to a 41-ball 52.
Hendricks, on the other hand, stood his ground firm and carried his bat all the way through with an unbeaten 79 off 54 deliveries, laced with seven boundaries and three sixes.
He was involved in yet another crucial partnership for the Sultans when he added 47 runs for the third wicket alongside Khushdil Shah, who played an important cameo at the backend.
Khushdil scored 28 off 13, hitting four boundaries, to help Hendricks bolster the Sultans’ total.
For the Kings, Mir Hamza and Daniel Sams each secured one wicket.
Squads:
Multan Sultans:
Mohammad Rizwan, Dawid Malan, Reeza Hendricks, Yasir Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, David Willey, Usama Mir, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Ali, Shahnawaz Dahani.
Karachi Kings:
James Vince, *Shan Masood, +Saad Baig, Mohammad Nawaz, Shoaib Malik, Kieron Pollard, Daniel Sams, Hasan Ali, Tabraiz Shamsi, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Amir Khan.