United make it five in five after thrashing Sultans by seven wickets

MULTAN: Islamabad United continued their winning streak in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 10 as they beat Multan Sultans by seven wickets in the 13th game of the tournament on Wednesday.

Chasing 169, the defending champions got over the line on the first ball of the 18th over, with seven wickets in hand and 17 balls to spare.

United’s opening batter Sahibzada Farhan fell to Ubaid Shah early in the inning after scoring 22 off 13 balls.

His opening partner, Andries Gous, was joined by Colin Munro, and the two charged the Multan Sultans’ bowling lineup.

The duo stitched an 81-run partnership on just 48 deliveries to put Islamabad United in a strong position in their fifth match of the PSL 10.

Munro was dismissed after scoring 45 off 28 balls, with the help of five fours and two sixes.

Following his dismissal, Mohammad Nawaz arrived at the crease and shared a 55-run stand with Andries Gous.

Nawaz departed after scoring 21 off 19 balls, as United were 165 for three and needed just four runs to win.

Andries Gous finished things off with a six off Ubaid Shah to make it five in five for Islamabad United in the PSL 10.

Earlier, Yasir Khan opened the innings for Multan Sultans alongside captain Mohammad Rizwan after they opted to bat first.

The two gave a solid 51-run start in 6.3 overs to the Sultans when Khan fell to Mohammad Nawaz after scoring 29 off 17 balls.

Usman Khan then joined Rizwan, and the two stitched a 65-run partnership to put their side in a strong position in the game.

The Multan Sultans skipper fell to Shadab Khan after scoring a sluggish 37-ball 36, with the scoreboard showing 116/2 in 13.3 overs.

Michael Bracewell made nine and Iftikhar Ahmed added 10 runs to the total as Islamabad United’s bowling lineup tightened the noose around the Sultans’ batting lineup.

Usman Khan was dismissed after scoring 61 off 40 balls, with the help of four fours and four sixes.

Kamran Ghulam and Chris Jordan remained unbeaten on 13 and six, respectively as Multan Sultans finished at 168 for five in their 20 overs.

Islamabad United top the PSL 10 points table, having won four out of their last four games.

Multan Sultans sit at the bottom of the table, with one victory in their four games. They defeated Lahore Qalandars by 33 runs in their match a day earlier.

Playing XIs

Multan Sultans: Mohammad Rizwan (c) (wk), Yasir Khan, Usman Khan, Kamran Ghulam, Tayyab Tahir, Michael Bracewell, Iftikhar Ahmed, Chris Jordan, Usama Mir, Josh Little, and Ubaid Shah.

Islamabad United: Andries Gous (wk), Sahibzada Farhan, Colin Munro, Shadab Khan (c), Muhammad Nawaz, Haider Ali, Jason Holder, Imad Wasim, Saad Masood, Riley Meredith, and Salman Irshad.

The 10th edition of the Pakistan Super League kicked off on April 11 and will run till May 18.

The six-team tournament will consist of 34 matches with Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium hosting 13 matches, including the two Eliminators and the final.

Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium will host 11 PSL 10 matches, including the first Qualifier on May 13, while Multan Cricket Stadium will host five matches.

Karachi’s National Bank Stadium has hosted five games of the ongoing edition.