LAHORE: Confident Multan Sultans will take on Islamabad United on Sunday (today) in their fourth match of the Pakistan Super League’s (PSL) eighth edition at the Multan Stadium.
Victorious in two matches, Multan would be confident enough to overcome the fighting spirit and toughness which United is carrying in their ranks for tournament.
Defeated by Lahore Qalandars in the opener, Sultans secured victory against Quetta Gladiators and Peshawar Zalmi quite reasonably in their following games.
Now, they would be looking forward to continuing their winning streak against Islamabad, regardless of how much “United” they stand in Multan’s backyard with their fans backing them up as well.
The Sultans displayed the best version of the 2021 champions in their second match against Gladiators. They bowled out the Quetta for just 110, as Ihsanullah took a five-wicket haul.
They then chased the total in the 14th over, with Rilee Rossouw scoring an unbeaten 78.
Similarly, they made quick work of Babar Azam-led Zalmi in the second match, one of the strongest sides of the league.
Captain Mohammad Rizwan, Shan Masood, and Rossouw were at their best while Usama Mir and Ihsanullah took wickets when the team needed a breakthrough the most.
On the other hand, United will also be high-spirited for today’s match as the two-time champions would be hoping to secure their second consecutive win.
Shadab Khan’s Islamabad United is currently second in the league after the Sultans and would be hoping to perform exceptionally will to replace them from the top. Their good batting form may overcome the bowling manoeuvring Multan has shown thus far.
Bowling first in their opening match against Karachi Kings, United limited the Kings to 173 runs. Rumman Raees, Mohammad Wasim Jr. and Tom Curran picked up two wickets each, while Faheem Ashraf also acquired a wicket.
In the run chase, Shadab’s team lost both openers early, but match-winning knocks from Colin Munro and Azam Khan helped them through. Munro scored a 28-ball 58 while wicket-keeper batter Azam chipped in with 44 runs.
If we look at their previous encounters, Sultans also enjoy the upper hand. They have beaten United on six occasions as compared to the five wins by Shadab’s team.
In the last meeting that took place in February last year, Sultans won comfortably by six wickets. Thus keeping in view the current performances of both the teams and their previous record, it would not be wrong to say that Multan has a clear edge over Islamabad.
Squads:
Multan Sultans: Mohammad Rizwan (c), David Miller, Josh Little, Shan Masood, Khushdil Shah, Rilee Rossouw, Akeal Hosain, Shahnawaz Dahani, Tim David, Usama Mir, Sameen Gul, Anwar Ali, Mohammad Sarwar, Usman Khan, Arafat Minhas, Ihsanullah, Abbas Afridi, Kieron Pollard, Ammad Butt, Wayne Parnell, IzharulHaq Naveed.
Islamabad United: Shadab Khan (c), Paul Stirling, Alex Hales, Sohaib Maqsood, Asif Ali, Rassie van der Dussen, Colin Munro, Hassan Nawaz, Moeen Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Mubasir Khan, Tom Curran, Mohammad Waseem Jr, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Azam Khan, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Zafar Gohar, Rumman Raees, Zeeshan Zameer, Hasan Ali, Abrar Ahmed, Tymal Mills, Gus Atkinson.
