MULTAN: David Miller smashed a quick-fire 25-ball 52 before Abbas Afridi stormed Islamabad United’s batting line to give Multan Sultan a dominant 52-run win in the seventh match of the Pakistan Super League season 8 on Sunday.
Set to chase a mammoth 191, the United were bundled out for 138 after a phenomenal bowling effort from pacer Afridi, who bagged four wickets for 22 runs in his four overs.
Multan dominated the visitors completely in every sphere as Miller and Rizwan hit astounding fifties to take the home side to 190/4 in the 20 overs.
Miller deposited three maximum in three balls to Islamabad United’s captain Shadab Khan (1-42) in the 17th over and brought up his fifty in 23 balls to put Sultans in command.
Kieron Pollard also played a sweet cameo of 32 runs from 21 balls and smacked three fours on the last three deliveries off Mohammad Wasim’s final over.
United, in reply, underwent batting chaos right from the start when pacer Mohammad Ilyas bagged two early wickets to dismiss openers Paul Stirling (5 from 5) and Hassan Nawaz (21 off 16) and stuck United at 32/2 in four overs.
Rassie Van der Dussen and Colin Munro anchored the chase in the middle with a valiant 56-run partnership but the rest of the batting line offered no resistance.
Dussren scored 49 from 32 balls while Munro made 31 off 29.
It was all over for United when Azam Khan was cleaned up by Afridi in the 15th over after surviving Ihasanullah’s fierce pace. The next five wickets fell in quick succession with Ihasanullah taking two in two balls to send United packing in the 18th over.
Earlier Miller and Pollard thrashed the United bowlers in the latter part of the innings as the two gathered 78 runs from 40 balls between the 13th and 20th over helping the Sultans to pile up 88 runs in the last six overs.
South Africa’s Miller smacked three fours and four sixes during his blistering knock before he fell in the final over off Wasim.
Multan Sultans went through a dismal start to their innings after they were invited to bat as opener Shan Masood was removed by Ruman Raees in the very first over.
Skipper Rizwan then held the fort for Multan Sultans and stitched a solid 91-run partnership alongside Rilee Rossouw, who scored 36 from 30 balls.
Rizwan scored 50 from 38 balls laced with five fours before Shadab plumbed him lbw in the 13th over.
United, however, remained unimpressive with the ball as their spin mainstay Shadab leaked 42 runs in three overs while Wasim conceded 49 runs in his full quota.
