Multan Sultans win for 9th time, Karachi Kings exit PSL with 9 defeats

Defending champion Multan Sultans continued its dream run in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), beating a depleted Islamabad United by six wickets in its last league game on Sunday.

Multan, which only lost to Lahore Qalandars in 10 league games, bettered Islamabad’s all-time PSL record of eight wins in the league stage to finish top of the table with 18 points.

Multan will take on either Lahore or Peshawar Zalmi in the qualifier on Wednesday while Islamabad also got into the playoffs after edging out Quetta Gladiators on net run-rate. Both Islamabad and Quetta finished with eight points from four wins.

Azam Khan (C) stumps out Shan Masood (L) during the PSL match in Lahore. AFP

Captain Mohammad Rizwan (51 not out off 42 balls) anchored Multan to 111-4 in 17.2 overs with his sixth half century this season after left-arm spinner Liam Dawson (3-16) had got three quick wickets.

Multan had earlier restricted an understrength Islamabad to this season's lowest total of 105-7 by using eight bowlers.  Islamabad had struggled in the latter half of the tournament after three of its batters -- Paul Stirling, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Alex Hales -- left because of either national duties or bubble fatigue.

Skipper Shadab Khan, who is still the top wicket-taker in the tournament with 17 wickets, has also missed the last three games due to groin injury.

Jason Roy plays a shot during the PSL match on Sunday. AFP

Islamabad’s bench strength couldn’t cope with the spin of Imran Tahir (2-8) and Asif Afridi (2-21) while Tim David (1-4) also chipped in with a wicket off his offspin bowling.

No.8 Mohammad Musa ensured Islamabad crossed the 100-run mark with an unbeaten 26 off 21 balls.

KARACHI BEATEN FOR NINTH TIME

Karachi Kings, led by Pakistan all-format captain Babar Azam, had a 23-run defeat to Quetta in the earlier game as both teams were knocked out.

Karachi became the first team in the history of Pakistan’s premier Twenty20 league to finish with just one win as the 2020 champion lost nine of its 10 games.

Khurram Shahzad celebrates the wicket of Tom Lammonby during the PSL match in Lahore. AFP

Without injured fast bowler Mohammad Amir, Karachi lost all five of its home games before notching a solitary 22-run win against Lahore Qalandars last Friday.

Englishman Jason Roy’s 82 off 64 balls rallied Quetta to 166-4 after captain Sarfaraz Ahmed won the toss and elected to bat in a game between the two bottom-place teams.

Karachi’s brittle middle order faltered yet again to finish on 143-8 despite the opening pair of Joe Clarke (52) and Babar (36) providing a solid platform of 87 runs.
Fast bowler Khurram Shahzad, playing his first game this season, grabbed 4-22 to pull back Karachi’s run chase.

Shahzad, the right-arm fast bowler, clean bowled Babar and Sharjeel Khan (16) in the middle overs before knocking the stumps of Lewis Gregory and Tom Lammonby off successive deliveries in the 19th over as Karachi lost eight wickets for 56 runs.

Meanwhile, The Pakistan Cricket Board and Quetta Gladiators have issued the following statement after Mr James Faulkner made baseless allegations of non-payment and mistreatment during the HBL Pakistan Super League 2022: “The PCB and Quetta Gladiators are disappointed and dismayed with the reprehensible behavior of Mr James Faulkner, who was also part of the Abu Dhabi-leg of the HBL Pakistan Super League in 2021, and, along with all participants, has always been treated with utmost respect.

Agencies