Multan Sultans are gradually becoming an easier opposition to face as the team led by Shoaib Malik has only won 2 from their 8 matches in PSL 2019.
They came up against Quetta Gladiators, who are on the hunt for the top position and Gladiators won comfortably by 6 wickets.
Winning the toss first, Sarfraz opted to bowl first, which has been a winning formula in the tournament thus far.
James Vince, who has struggled against spin the entire tournament again fell to a spinner – Mohammad Nawaz. The left-arm spinner also got the second breakthrough by trapping Charles leg before wicket.
Umar Siddiq failed to make any impact and wasted 23 deliveries and managing only 14 runs. Multan kept losing wickets and Gladiators’ pressure kept on increasing.
From being 100-5 in 16th over, Multan were all wrapped up for 121 runs.
Quetta Gladiators Innings:
Chasing a low target, Quetta Gladiators looked extremely comfortable throughout the innings bar the rash shot from Umar Akmal who came into bat when the required situation was 16 from 14 runs.
Shane Watson scored 33 at the top of the order whereas Ahmed Shehzad partnered with Rilee Rossouw to take the pressure off the team.
The Gladiators chased down the target in the last over but were never out-of-control of the game at any instance.
Sarfraz’s team is now level on points with Peshawar Zalmi but sit in second place due to lower NRR (net run-rate). For Multan Sultans, it’s curtains as they are anchored at the bottom of the table having played one more than Lahore Qalandars and Karachi Kings, who are just above them.
It is the last day of PSL in Dubai as action moves to Abu Dhabi on 4th March.
The second of today’s fixtures will be played between Multan Sultans and Quetta Gladiators. Multan Sultans are desperate for a win as they sit at the bottom of the PSL points table with just 4 points after 7 games.
On the flip side, Quetta are fighting for the top position which can prove crucial in later stage of the tournament.
Here are the details for tonight’s fixture:
Match Details
| Date | Friday, March 01, 2019 |
| Time | 09:00 PM PST |
| Umpires | Richard Illingworth (ENG) Ahsan Raza (PAK) |
| Match Referee | Roshan Mahanama (SL) |
| TV Umpire | Rashid Riaz (PAK) |
Head-to-Head
In the three games, Quetta Gladiators have won two while Multan Sultans came on top once.
Playing XI
Multan Sultans:
Umar Siddiq (WK), James Vince, Johnson Charles, Shoaib Malik (C), Dan Christian, Shahid Afridi, TJ Moores, Mohammad Ilyas, Mohammad Irfan, Junaid Khan, Nauman Ali
Quetta Gladiators:
Ahsan Ali, Shane Watson, Rilee Rossouw, Umar Akmal, Saud Shakeel, Sarfraz Ahmed (C, WK), Mohammad Nawaz, Sohail Tanvir, Fawad Ahmed, Harry Gurney, Mohammad Hasnain
Players to Lookout For
Multan Sultans:
James Vince would be hoping to get into the Cricket World Cup squad for England and PSL can be his best opportunity. He will be the player to look out for.
Quetta Gladiators:
Umar Akmal is among the leading run scorers in PSL this season and he would continue to push for a place in the national side. The selectors will have eyes on him and he would want to perform well.
To check latest standings, check out the PSL Points Table!
