Multan Sultans thrash Quetta Gladiators to open their account in PSL 8
Ihsanullah bagged first fifer of the season
A dominant Multan Sultans thumped down Quetta Gladiators for the fourth successive time as they bundled out the opposition for just 110 runs and then hunt the total for the loss of just one wicket to open their account in the ongoing PSL 8. Ihsanullah and Rilee Rossouw were the star performers for the home side.
Ihsanullah ran through Gladiators
Newly formed opening pair of Quetta Gladiators Jason Roy and Martin Guptill scored nine runs in the first over before Sameen Gul struck in the second over to dismiss Guptill for seven runs.
Coming to bat at 3, Abdul Wahid Bangalzai could only add one more run to Gladiators' total before he was dismissed by Abbas Afridi.
In the sixth over Quetta’s skipper, Sarfaraz Ahmed dragged an Ihsanullah delivery onto his stumps after scoring just 2 runs and their team lost three wickets for 37 runs. He removed Jason Roy (27) and in-form Iftikhar Ahmed (0) on successive deliveries in his second over. At the halfway mark, Gladiators were struggling with only 52 runs in the first 10 overs, losing half of their team.
Left-arm spin all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz was the sixth batter to depart when he could not read Usama Mir's delivery and got LBW for 14. Veteran batter Umar Akmal's struggling innings came to an end when Ihsanullah came back in the attack. He then bagged his fifth wicket by getting the wicket of Naseem Shah.
Ihsanullah finished his spell by conceding only 12 runs and picked up five wickets in his four overs, including a maiden over.
The 22-year-old Mohammad Hasnain (22) showed some resilience to add 31 runs for the ninth wicket with Mohammad Hafeez. In the 19th over, Hafeez was caught behind by Rizwan as the team got all out of 110.
Rossouw's quick-fire fifty propelled Sultans
A target of 110 was never going to be enough, but Gladiators stuck early as Nuwan Thushara trapped Multan opener Shan Masood in front of the wicket for just 3 runs to land an early blow.
In-form South Africa's power-hitting batter Rossouw got off to blocks early, smacking four consecutive boundaries in the fourth over to take the pressure off Multan Sultans.
Following the early hiccup, Rossouw and Sultans’ skipper Mohammad Rizwan anchored the run chase by rotating the strike efficiently. By the end of 10 overs, the Sultans were 70/1. Rossouw was the core aggressor of the match-winning partnership. The dynamic left-handed batter reached his first half-century of the season in the 11th over. His fifty came off just 33 balls.
After completing his fifty, the Proteas batter was in hurry to finish the game quickly. In the 12th over, he smacked Mohammad Hasnain for six and two fours over.
While Rizwan was playing the second fiddle, Rossouw was the dominant figure in the partnership.
Eventually, Sultans chased the total with 39 balls and nine wickets to spare. Rossouw remained unbeaten for 78 (42), laced with nine boundaries and three sixes, while Rizwan was not out on the other end with a 34-ball 28.
Brief Scores:
Quetta Gladiators: 110/10 (18.5 overs)
Jason Roy 27(18), Mohammad Hasnain 22 (20)
Ihsanullah 5/12 (4), Sameen Gul 2/20 (3)
Multan Sultans: 111/1 (13.3 overs)
Rilee Rossouw 78*(42), Mohammad Rizwan 28 (34)
Nuwan Thushara 1/21(2)
Result: Multan Sultans won by 9 wickets
 "Vaibhav Tripathi")
