Match Details
In pursuit of a competitive total of 196 under lights, the Karachi openers Matthew Wade and James Vince went all guns blazing inside the powerplay and exhibited their batting prowess sensationally. The left-handed Wade started the assault but it wasn’t long enough before the English batter Vince also joined forces with him and completed his half-century inside the first six. The left-right duo of Wade and Vince swatted a total of 14 boundaries inside the powerplay and eased Kings to 72 without any loss in the wickets.
The remorseless power-hitting display was halted by Usama Mir as the leg-break bowler trapped Wade 20(14) in the front right after the field restrictions. The right-hander Viince continued the ultra-aggressive approach and cruised Karachi past 100 inside 9 overs. However, Vince was involved in a mix-up thereafter and had to walk back after a blistering 75(34), including 7 fours and 6 maximums.
Following the wicket of Vince, the Kings went off the course as Khushdil Shah removed Haider Ali for 12(17) and Shoaib Malik alongside Imad Wasim failed to carry forward the momentum. The duo decelerated the innings at the critical juncture and Malik 13(19) succumbed to the mounting pressure at the backend, courtesy of a sensational effort from Kieron Pollard.
The Multan spinners dried up the boundaries in the middle overs and it was an excellent bowling spell from Ihsanullah at the backend that stormed the game away from the Kings. Eventually, the visitors required 40 from the last two overs, and a brave effort from Imad Wasim 46*(26), and Ben Cutting 12(10) took matters to the last delivery of the match but youngster Abbas Afridi held his nerves, and delivered rollercoaster of a last over.
Earlier in the day, after being invited to bat first, the home side started their innings on a pleasant note as the left-right duo of Shan Masood and Mohammad Rizwan yet again looked on a high perch. The duo maneuvered the scorecard well at the start and orchestrated 50 of the powerplay. Soon after, the southpaw Masood brought up his 8th half-century in the tournament.
Just when the pair was steering Multan to a massive total, the golden arm of Shoaib Malik removed Masood for 51(33) and ceased the 85-run opening partnership. The skipper Rizwan continued the momentum forward and registered his 16th half-century and he was accompanied by the in-form Rilee Rossouw. The duo then provided the much-needed acceleration and completely changed the course of the game.
Mohammad Rizwan was ruthless at the backend and registered his maiden PSL century, while Rossouw also chipped in with 29(21) in the 109-run partnership between the duo before departing in the final over. The right-handed Rizwan notched up a sensational 110*(64), including 10 fours and 4 maximums, and cruised the home side past 190. Stick around for the post-match presentation!