Multan Sultans put an end to Quetta Gladiators' three-match winning streak in the 11th encounter of the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 9 at Multan Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
In an impressive display, Mohammad Rizwan's team successfully defended the 181-run target, showcasing precision with the ball as the Gladiators' batsmen failed to make an impact.
During the chase, the Gladiators faced a slow start, managing only eight runs in the first two overs against Mohammad Ali and David Willey.
Jason Roy fell victim to Ali in the third over, and Saud Shakeel lost his wicket to Willey in the sixth over, leaving the team at 42-2.
Despite the setback, skipper Rilee Rossouw and young talent Khawaja Nafay steadied the ship with a 60-run partnership. However, Rossouw's unexpected dismissal shifted the momentum in favour of the Sultans.
The wickets continued to fall, and the Gladiators could only muster 167 runs in the allotted overs, suffering their first defeat in PSL 9 by 13 runs.
In their innings, the Sultans started aggressively, with opener Usman Khan hitting three boundaries off Akeal Hosein in the first over, ending with a score of 14/0. However, Usman Khan was dismissed by mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed in the third over after contributing 14 runs.
Captain Mohammad Rizwan played a crucial role, forming a 79-run partnership with Hendricks, completing his half-century before departing for 51 runs off 42 balls. Despite Quetta's apparent control, Hendricks and Tahir turned the game around in the last four overs, contributing a combined 58 runs and taking the Sultans to a competitive total.
Hendricks scored 72 runs off 47 balls before departing in the last over, while Tahir remained unbeaten with 35 off 22. Notably, just before the conclusion of Sultans' innings, a ball struck Quetta's wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfaraz Ahmed's head, leading to his replacement by Mohammad Sajjad as a concussion substitute.
