Image Credit- PSL
Top of the table On Sunday, Multan Sultans dealt
Quetta Gladiators their first loss of the PSL when they concluded their home
leg.
Sultans amassed a formidable 180 for 4 thanks to half-centuries from Reeza
Hendricks and captain Muhammad Rizwan. Tayyab Tahir also chipped in with 35 off
22 balls in his first-season match following Dawid Malan’s illness.
Fast bowlers Mohammad Ali and David Willey both claimed three wickets to help
the Sultans win by 13 runs as the Gladiators were unable to build on their strong
starts and were eventually limited to 167 for 9.
Ali, who was effective with both the new and old ball, currently has the most
wickets taken in the competition with 13.
Sultans have eight points after winning four of their
last five home games, while Gladiators, who lost their last three games on
Sunday, are in second place with six. Peshawar Zalmi was the cause of the
Sultans’ lone loss this season.
“You can’t get satisfied because it will be a
different challenge when we play our five away games,” Rizwan said.
In his second over, Ali smashed the top of Jason Roy’s
off stump, exposing his stumps as he tried for a big shot. Before Khawaja Nafay
and skipper Rilee Rossouw brought the Gladiators back into the game, Willey
scored another goal on the powerplay when he had Saud Shakeel caught at
long-on.
Gladiators’ chase was disrupted after they slumped to 124 for 5 in the 15th
over. Rossouw went to a wonderful low catch by Khushdil Shah in the covers,
ending a dangerous 62-run stand, and Ali had Nafay caught off a slower ball in
his return delivery.
Willey dismissed Sherfane Rutherford with a stunning
skier off his own bowling, while Ali completed a fantastic day by clean bowling
Mohammad Amir off a full-pitched delivery.
Hendricks recorded his third half-century of the season in five games earlier
after being called in to bat and being a member of two strong partnerships. In
the last overs, Hendricks scored 77 more runs with Tahir after counterattacking
pacers Amir and Mohammad Wasim had already cost him 79 with Rizwan for the
second wicket.
Rizwan was dismissed soon after completing his
half-century when he holed out at deep midwicket. Hendricks’ robust 47-ball
knock, which featured four sixes and seven fours, ended in the last over when
he was caught in the deep while going for a big shot against Amir.