Multan Sultans registered a fine 31 runs victory over Islamabad United to qualify for HBL PSL Final on Monday at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium.
Defending the huge target of 181 runs, Sohail Tanvir struck early for Multan’s after bowling out Colin Munro on the second ball of the innings.
Mohammad Akhlaq (10) also had a short stay on the crease after he got in the mix-up and Imran Khan’s direct hit did the work.
United was landing their hopes on their skipper but Shadab Khan did the opposite after handing an easy catch to Shan Masood at the point.
Usman Khawaja stayed consistent as wickets keep falling for United. Iftikhar Ahmed who was in a decent touch lost his wicket in a caught behind off Blessing Mazarbani.
Meanwhile, the powerhouse, Asif Ali was done on 1 after he stepped out from the crease and got stumped off Imran Khan, leaving IU on 61-5.
Khawaja never lost hope and completed his half-century in only 33 balls to keep Islamabad alive in the run chase.
With IU requiring 90 off 42 balls, Usman Khawaja decided to shift the gear and he hit a sixer to Mazarabani before hitting three consecutive boundaries.
Sohail Tanvir came back to the attack in the 15th over to remove Khawaja on 70 and completed his third wicket of the match.
Hassan Ali came next to up the ante but Imran Tahir removed him early to avoid the danger and also completed his four-overs spell.
Muzarabani and Tanvir picked up three wickets each to bowl out IU on 149.
Earlier, expanded knocks from Sohaib Maqsood and Khushdil Shah helped Sultans post a competitive target of 180/5 in the allotted overs.
However, Sultans faced an early blow as their skipper, Mohammad Rizwan went for a duck in a caught behind on second over.
Meanwhile, the in-from Sohaib Maqsood made his mindset clear after hitting three boundaries in Faheem Ashraf’s first over. Maqsood continued with the same intentions as he hit two sixes off Akif Javed before powerplay.
After powerplay, Shan Masood welcomed the skipper, Shadab Khan with back-to-back boundaries. However, it was his last laugh with Shadab as he trapped him in an lbw on the next ball.
Shadab kept striking as he picked up another big fish, Rilee Russouw for a duck in the same over.
But it did not reverse Maqsood’s gear as he keeps hitting in the same manner and this time it was Mohammad Wasim Jr who got consecutive boundaries.
Johnson Charles also did not spare the young bowler and hit him for a couple of sixes. Meanwhile, Maqsood brought up his fifty in style after hitting Hassan Ali for a six on the cover.
United needed to break the partnership and Faheem showed his talent after picking up Charles to end his blistering knock of 41 runs.
Faheem dug further and ended up in the innings of Maqsood on 59 in the final over.
Sultans bend on their knees after continuous fall of wickets before Khushdil Shah went behind Akif Javed to hit him four consecutive sixes in the final over.
Khusdil’s uneaten 42 off 22 balls helped Sultans close to a competitive total.
“Pressure was on both teams, but we made a conscious decision to remain calm and take it easy. It helped in the performance. The important thing was getting momentum towards the end. Maqsood carried it and Khushdil finished it off. That helped the bowlers. The rest we get now is a good thing, the humidity and heat have taken their toll. We’ll work hard between now and the final,”
said Mohammad Rizwan, the winning captain.
“The slower deliveries were sticking onto the pitch, so the talk was to bring in a lot of variations. Early wickets helped since Munro is an in-form batsman. The plans we made worked, so credit to the bowling unit for utilizing the conditions,”
said Sohail Tanvir, player of the match.