In Sultans’ final-over victory, Hendricks and the bowlers shine.
In Sultans’ final-over victory, Hendricks and the bowlers shine.
Reeza Hendricks struck a masterful fifty runs (58 off 46) to cap off an impressive effort by Multan sultan bowlers as they emerged victorious over Islamabad United by five wickets. Abbas Afridi (3/33) and Usama Mir (2/29) were the bowling attack chipped away at the wickets, while Mohammad Ali (3/19) was outstanding with the new ball and at the end.
Given that dew hadn’t had much of an effect at this location, Multan sultan captain Muhammad Rizwan made an unexpected decision to bowl first on a surface that was slightly two-paced. But his bowlers responded immediately with a powerful display. Ali and David Willey both made some progress up front, which complicated matters for Islamabad’s potent opening duo of Colin Munro and Alex Hales. Multan took an early lead in the game when both batters were out of the game within the powerplay due to the tight squeeze.
partnership between Agha Salman and Jordan Cox Multan sultan
After that, a strong 68-run partnership between Agha Salman (52 off 43) and Jordan Cox (41 off 28) got the innings going. The former was fortunate enough a few times, with Khushdil Shah always at fault. Boundaries started to flow after the two got their eye in, but not as quickly as they had in the Lahore leg. Spinners had some grip available, and Mir accurately probed to stifle the batters. The unusual boundary materialized, but there was no momentum, forcing a well-positioned Cox to attempt the switch hit and end up trapped LBW.
Even though Azam Khan attempted to take down Mir by hitting a six, the leggie ended up laughing the most. The ball that was older and becomes harder to hit, but Multan’s bowlers adhered to their game plan and attacked the stumps. Islamabad also lacked tactical acumen, and considering his outstanding performance in the first game, captain Shadab Khan’s move to drop to no. 7 seemed puzzling. When he took the bat, Islamabad’s innings was at its low. Salman and he both tried, but Sultans’ death bowling was spot on.
With just four runs off the final 11 balls and four wickets lost, the innings crashed and burned. Islamabad needed early wickets to prevent a score that was below par, and in his opening over, Naseem Shah took care of Dawid Malan with an inswinger. Rizwan should have been the first ball for the pacer, but Imad Wasim fumbled a catch at cover point. Though Naseem was unable to take another wicket during that stint, he did offer an outstanding burst with the new ball. With his aggressiveness and clear aim, Rizwan gave Multan a consistent powerplay that audience expected.
Multan sultan captain
The Multan captain put the chase in cruise control with a 71-run partnership for the second wicket with Reeza Hendricks. The South African batsman was unsteady at first but gained confidence as his innings went on. Although Rizwan appeared fluid and ready for a major blow, he misinterpreted a Shadab slider as being trapped LBW. Following the captain’s departure, Islamabad began to exert significant pressure on the game. The slower pace of the track combined with the older ball made it easier for the bowlers to contain the scoring rate. Multan too made the almost disastrous decision to go long into the match because of a few wickets.
With 39 required off the last 24 deliveries, the necessary rate skyrocketed to 9.75 runs per over. Islamabad was right in it before Hendricks changed gears, given the nature of the circuit. In the leg-spinner’s last over, the South African destroyed Shadab, robbing him of 17 runs to ruin his numbers and bring the equation down to manageable terms. The following over saw Hendricks go down, but Iftikhar Ahmed and David Willey’s timely hits ensured that the outcome was guaranteed, even though the margin was too narrow to be comfortable.