Multan Sultans ease to 6-wicket victory over Islamabad United

Cricket

Multan Sultans ease to 6-wicket victory over Islamabad United

Close

DUBAI (Agencies) - Multan Sultans registered an easy 6-wicket victory over defending champions Islamabad United in the 4th edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL) at Dubai on Tuesday.

Multan Sultans swept the season series with Islamabad United in dominant fashion, chasing a target of 122 with ease in a six-wicket win in Dubai. Sultans snapped a three-match losing streak in the process while United s two-match winning streak also came to a close.

United raced out of the gates with a sharp Powerplay total of 45 for 3, but once Luke Ronchi fell in the 5th, United s innings struggled to regain any momentum. Dan Christian followed up a fantastic effort for a relay catch on the boundary with wickets on back-to-back balls in the 16th to help wipe out the United tail as they were eventually bowled out in just 17.4 overs.

Umar Siddiq and James Vince knocked off nearly half the runs required in the Powerplay alone. Sultans coasted the rest of the way, content to secure points first rather than achieving a major net run rate boost. When Siddiq finally fell for a 45-ball 46 in the 15th over, just 23 were needed for victory and the Sultans eventually got across the line with 11 balls to spare.

Luke Ronchi had scored 32 of the first 42 runs in United s innings - at a strike rate of 200 as well - but his charge down the pitch in the fifth over to Mohammad Ilyas resulted in a mistimed drive to long-on, sparking a slide of 79 for 8.

Samit Patel was the only other player in the top half of the United order to get a start, but threw his wicket away for 20 charging Shahid Afridi to end the 12th as Dan Christian and James Vince produced a superb tag-team relay catch at long-off. When Wayne Parnell was bounced out five balls later by Mohammad Irfan to make it 76 for 6, United had little chance of posting a competitive score.

Christian had a solid all-round day. After claiming 3 for 19 off just 10 balls, including being on a hat-trick at one point, he entered at the fall of Siddiq s wicket and helped ice the chase for Sultans by stroking an unbeaten 16 off 9 balls.

Sultans move to four points puts them equal with Lahore Qalandars and Karachi Kings, but ahead of both on net run-rate to sit officially fourth. United remain in third on six points, having missed a chance to create a two-way tie for first with Quetta Gladiators.