Multan Sultans continued their unbeaten run in the Pakistan Super League 2022 with a victory over Quetta Gladiators in Karachi on January 31. In a close-fought triumph, Sultans also became the first team to win a game while defending a total this season.
As it happened, they were put into bat first after losing the toss. The Sultans batted their entire 20 overs and posted a competitive total of 174/4. On most other surfaces in the world, that is a score that gives you a toe into the winning door. But the excessively flat track at the National Stadium in Karachi almost had Gladiators as favourites at the halfway mark.
However, in a spirited bowling performance, the Sultans managed to dismiss Gladiators for 168, thanks largely to the trio of Khushdil Shah (3/16), David Willey (3/22) and Imran Tahir (3/24). The three men ran through the Gladiators’ batting unit with their incisive spells.
Either side of two promising knocks from – Ben Duckett (47) and Iftikhar Ahmed (30) – it was a proper struggle for the Gladiators. Yet, they somehow took the game to the final over, where they needed eight more runs off the remaining six balls with two wickets in hand.
This is where Willey came to Sultans’ rescue and delivered an excellent over, giving away just one run and taking the last two wickets.
What Gladiators missed at the end was one of their set batters lasting deep into the innings and a few more stand-out performances with the ball in the first half. They had Mohammad Hasnain (2/27) and James Faulkner (1/22) finishing with impressive figures. But the team needed the rest of the support cast to also come to the party.
Sultans had their in-form opening batter Shan Masood playing a terrific innings at the top of the order. He blasted 88 runs off 58 deliveries, including six fours and four sixes. Sultans had their own stutters in the middle-order, but a useful cameo from Tim David (28* off 16) allowed them to cross the 170-mark.
Brief scores
Multan Sultans 174/4 in 20 overs (Masood 88, David 28*; Hasnain 2/27) beat Quetta Gladiators 168/10 in 19.5 overs (Duckett 47, Ahmed 30; Shah 3/16) by 6 runs
