Clinical Sultans rout Kings in one-sided encounter

KARACHI: The in-from Multan Sultans registered their sixth win of this year’s HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) as equal contributions from the bowlers and a dazzling 59-ball 106 from Usman Khan inflicted the fourth defeat on Karachi Kings at the National Stadium here on Sunday night.

Batting first, Multan Sultans scored 189 for three. Kings managed 169 for seven in response.

For Sultans, all bowlers contributed, with David Willey, Mohammad Ali, Chris Jordan and Khushdil Shah picking one wicket a piece, while the in-from leggie Usama Mir picked two for 29.

In the late overs, Hasan Ali (17) and Mohammad (27) did smash some boundaries, but the damage that was done by the Sultan bowlers in the first 10 overs never allowed Kings to recover.

In the first 10 overs, the home team had a poor start to a tricky 190-run target as they managed only 79 for the loss of three wickets.

Opener Tim Seifert was shown the door in the second over by Mohammad Ali. However, the King’s batters tried to press hard as they scored 53 in the first six overs for the loss of two wickets but were not able to score at ten-an-over consistently.

The well-thought-out field and bowling plans from the Sultan’s side didn’t allow the home team to craft a long partnership that could have posed any threat to the opponent side.

England’s James Vince was removed in the fourth over by his countryman Chris Jordan. Shan Masood and Shoaib Malik tried to uplift their team’s chances with a 47-run stand off 34 balls.

After the powerplay, skipper Rizwan brought spinners Khushdil Shah and in-from leggie Usama Mir. Both bowlers not only squeezed the boundaries but also took wickets.

Earlier, electing to bat first, the table-toppers Sultans got off to an aggressive start, scoring 12 in the first over. However, in the next two overs, the Kings bowlers made things tight as Muzarabani removed Reza Hendricks (13) with 18 runs on the board.

After Reza’s removal, Rizwan and Usman added 148 runs for the third wicket. Rizwan kept one end intact with regular rotation of strike, while Usman, who smashed 10 fours and five sixes during an entertaining knock, adopted the aggressive gear.

Usman, who also scored a brilliant 96 against Lahore Qalandars in Lahore, played a brilliant knock, scoring heavily in the 10th, 15th, 16th and 20th overs.

In the 15th over, leg-spinner Zahid Mahmood was hit for two sixes and a four by Usman. The right-hander also laced 13 in the last over with a six and a four to take his team to a healthy total.

For Kings, Zimbabwe’s right-arm pacer Blessing Muzarabani was the stand-out bowler with figures of 2-32 in four overs. Hasan Ali picked one for 34. Mohammad Nawaz proved very expensive, conceding 37 runs in three overs.