Tag: Multan Sultans

KARACHI: Multan Sultans’ captain Mohammad Rizwan on Sunday, downplayed the hype of the highly-anticipated Pakistan Super League (PSL) 9 final, stating that he would approach it as a normal game.

Rizwan, who led Sultans to their third consecutive PSL final under his captaincy, expressed his excitement for the big match but at the same time refrained from taking the toll of the big-match pressure.

“We are playing the fourth consecutive final. Everyone in the team is excited but for me, the game is just like a season opener,” stated Rizwan.

Whereas, Islamabad United captain Shadab Khan was upbeat about playing the PSL final after a gap of six years.

“Our team bonding has always been top notch and we have stayed like a family and play like United,” Shadab said.

Both captains also requested the fans to come and fill the iconic National Bank Cricket Stadium in the PSL 9 final.

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For the unversed, Multan Sultans enjoyed a dream run in the ongoing PSL 9 as the former champions became the first team to qualify for the Playoffs.

The Sultans then outclassed Quetta Gladiators in their final group-stage fixture to end as the table toppers with 14 points in 10 matches.

The 2021 champions then eased past Peshawar Zalmi in the Qualifier to make their way into the final.

On the contrary, Islamabad United had a campaign full of ups and downs, the two-time champions had a forgetful start to their campaign but soon regrouped and got back on the winning track.

They then edged Sultans in their last fixture to seal their place in the Playoffs.

The United then emerged victorious in two consecutive knockout matches against Quetta Gladiators and Peshawar Zalmi respectively and made their way to the PSL 9 final.

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KARACHI: The Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Multan Sultans’ spin bowling coach Alex Hartley revealed that she is fasting in the ongoing holy month of Ramadan.

Hartley stated that all the players in the team are fasting so she wanted to understand how they feel and also to experience it first-hand.

“It is Ramadan and the lads are fasting. So I thought I really want to understand how they’re feeling when they get to the game. I think it is only fair that the players are doing it, so I should join them [in fasting],” Hartley told BBC 5 Live Sport.

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Hartley then highlighted the challenges she is facing while fasting and also termed the practice “very hard”.

“We have just broken our fast now after we fasted all day. I have had some dates and some salad. We can eat till 4 am and then we don’t eat again till 6:40 pm the next day. It is hard, so hard,” shared Hartley.

“I go to bed at 4 am and sleep during the day, as our games start at 9 pm in the night,” she concluded.

It is worth mentioning here that Alex Hartley played a pivotal role in Multan Sultans’ success in the ongoing edition of the marquee league.

The 2021 champions became the first team to qualify for the playoffs before humbling Peshawar Zalmi in the Qualifier to reach their fourth-consecutive PSL final.

The Sultans will now take either Zalmi or Islamabad United in the blockbuster final on Monday at the iconic National Bank Stadium.

READ: Saim, Haris propel Zalmi to 185/5 against United in Eliminator 2

KARACHI: Peshawar Zalmi have won the toss and elected to bat first against Multan Sultans in the qualifier of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 9 here at National Bank Stadium on Thursday.

PLAYING XIs

HEAD TO HEAD

Matches 15, Multan Sultans 10, Peshawar Zalmi 5

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KARACHI: Multan Sultans’ all-rounder Iftikhar Ahmed has been fined five per cent of his match fee by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday for using inappropriate language during the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 9.

Iftikhar Ahmed was fined for a Level 1 breach of PSL’s code of conduct during his side’s PSL 9 fixture against Quetta Gladiators at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi.

Iftikhar was found to have violated Article 2.5 of the HBL PSL Code of Conduct, which reads as: “Using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon his/her dismissal during a match”.

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The incident happened in the third over of Quetta Gladiators’ batting, when Iftikhar used inappropriate language towards the batter (Jason Roy) who was dismissed.

Since Iftikhar pleaded guilty to the charge and accepted the sanctions proposed by match referee Ali Naqvi, there was no need for a formal hearing.

The charge was imposed by on-field umpires Rashid Riaz and Richard Illingworth.

During the match, an all-round performance led Multan Sultans to ease past Quetta Gladiators to reclaim the top spot in the PSL 9 standings with 14 points and also booked their Qualifiers clash with Peshawar Zalmi, who moved to second with a point less.

READ: PCB announces match officials for PSL 9 playoffs and final

KARACHI: An all-round performance led Multan Sultans to ease past Quetta Gladiators by a massive margin of 79 runs in the 30th match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 9 here at National Bank Stadium on Tuesday.

The emphatic victory helped Sultans to reclaim the top spot in the PSL 9 standings with 14 points and also booked their Qualifiers clash with Peshawar Zalmi, who moved to second with a point less.

Set to chase 186 against a challenging surface, the Gladiators’ batting unit unfolded on a meagre 106 and thus succumbed to a massive defeat ahead of their Eliminator clash against Islamabad United.

Openers Jason Roy (3) and Saud Shakeel failed to give Gladiators a strong start as the former fell prey to David Willey in the third over with 18 runs on the board.

Shakeel followed his opening partner’s footsteps and got run out in the same over. He scored 14 off nine deliveries, hitting two boundaries including a six.

The Gladiators then lost two more wickets — Rilee Rossouw (10) and Laurie Evans (1) in quick succession and consequently slipped to 47/4 in 6.1 overs.

Youngster Omair Bin Yousuf offered some resistance in the middle phase with a courageous knock until falling victim to Usama Mir in the 12th over.

Yousuf remained the top-scorer for the Gladiators with a 25-ball 37 with the help of three boundaries and two sixes.

Following his dismissal, the Sultans’ bowlers ran through the Gladiators’ batting tail to seal a resounding victory for the 2021 champions.

David Willey and Usama Mir led the bowling attack for the Sultans with three wickets each, followed by Abbas Afridi, who claimed two.

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Put into bat first, the Sultans registered a formidable total on the board, courtesy of a collective effort from their batters.

The Sultans, however, had a contrasting start to their innings as they lost their opener Yasir Khan (12) in the third over with just 16 runs on the board.

Following the early blow, in-form Usman Khan joined Mohammad Rizwan in the middle and knitted an anchoring partnership.

Their second-wicket stand yielded 52 runs before Abrar Ahmed cleaned up Usman with a quicker delivery.

Usman managed 21 off 23 deliveries, hitting three boundaries.

Meanwhile, Rizwan stood his ground firm and partnered strongly with Johnson Charles to put Sultans in control.

They added 65 runs for the third wicket before Rizwan fell victim to Mohammad Amir in the 17th over.

He remained the top-scorer for the Sultans with a 47-ball 69 which featured one boundary and four sixes.

Later, Iftikhar Ahmed joined forces with set-batter Charles and bolstered the Sultans’ total with belligerent hitting.

The duo added a quickfire 46 runs to the tally before Charles finally perished in the final over.

He remained a notable run-getter for the Sultans with 53 off 29 deliveries, hitting six boundaries and three sixes.

Iftikhar, on the other hand, carried his bat all the way through with an unbeaten 20 off eight deliveries which included two boundaries and a six.

Mohammad Amir led the bowling charge for Quetta Gladiators with two wickets but was expensive while Abrar and Akeal Hosein and Mohammad Wasim Jr picked one each.

READ: PSL 9 observes Golden Ribbon Day for childhood cancer awareness

RAWALPINDI: Islamabad United’s Naseem Shah has been fined 10 per cent of his match fee by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 9 clash against Multan Sultans.

The star pacer was fined for a level 1 breach of the PSL’s Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel during Islamabad United’s final group match at the Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi on Sunday.

Naseem had kicked the stumps after the final ball of Multan Sultans’ innings, resulting in him getting charged for violating Article 2.2 which deals with abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings.

Since Naseem pleaded guilty to the charge and accepted the sanctions proposed by match referee Roshan Mahanama, there was no need for a formal hearing.

The charge was imposed by on-field umpires Ruchira Palliyaguruge and Muhammad Asif.

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Meanwhile, in a separate incident in the same match, Multan Sultans were fined for maintaining a slow over-rate.

Multan Sultans were ruled to be one over short of their target by match referee Roshan Mahanama, who took into consideration time allowances before arriving at the decision.

As such, and in accordance with Article 2.22 of the HBL PSL Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, each player was fined 10 per cent of his match fee.

Multan Sultans suffered a three-wicket defeat against Islamabad United, courtesy of Imad Wasim, who smashed a four and six in the last two balls to chase the highest total in PSL 9.

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RAWALPINDI: Islamabad United have won the toss and elected to field against Multan Sultans in the 27th match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 9 here on Sunday.

Multan Sultans: Mohammad Rizwan (c), Yasir Khan, Tayyab Tahir, Usman Khan, Johnson Charles, Iftikhar Ahmed, Chris Jordan, David Willey, Usama Mir, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Ali.

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Islamabad United: Shadab Khan (c), Alex Hales, Colin Munro, Salman Ali Agha, Azam Khan (wk), Haider Ali, Imad Wasim, Faheem Ashraf, Hunain Shah, Naseem Shah, Tymal Mills.

HEAD TO HEAD

Matches 14, Islamabad United 6, Multan Sultans 8

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RAWALPINDI: A combined batting and bowling effort led Peshawar Zalmi to a narrow four-run victory over leaders Multan Sultans in the 21st match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 9 here at Pindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.

Chasing a mammoth 205, the Sultans narrowly missed out on pulling off the highest successful run chase in the ongoing PSL 9 as a six off the final delivery of the innings took them to the 200-run mark.

The leaders got off to a dismal start to the pursuit as they lost their opener Reeza Hendricks (five) in the fifth over with just 45 runs on the board.

They sustained another blow in the eighth over when their skipper Mohammad Rizwan perished while attempting to steal a tight single.

He scored an anchoring 32 off 24 deliveries with the help of two boundaries and a six.

Dawid Malan (19) and Tayyab Tahir (26) put together an anchoring 31-run partnership for the third wicket but both perished in the 12th over, bringing the Sultans down to 91/4 in 12 overs.

Coming out to bat at number six, Iftikhar Ahmed partnered briefly with Khushdil Shah, who managed a mere 11 off 10 deliveries.

Iftikhar then switched gears after his cautious stand with Khushdil and kept the Sultans in the hunt with belligerent hitting.

He was supported well by Chris Jordan, who made 30 not out off just 12 deliveries, but failed to snatch a thrilling victory for his side despite hitting Salman Irshad for a six on the final delivery.

Iftikhar top-scored for the Sultans with an unbeaten 60 off 27 deliveries, peppered with four boundaries and five sixes.

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Babar’s decision to bat first paid dividends for the Zalmi as they racked up 204/5 in the allotted 20 overs against Playoffs-bound Sultans.

Zalmi openers Babar and Saim once again gave the former champions a steady start with a blistering partnership.

Their stand yielded 84 runs before Saim perished in the seventh over off Usama Mir.

The left-handed batter fell agonizingly short of his well-deserved half-century, scoring 46 off 22 deliveries, hitting three boundaries and five sixes.

Tom Kohler Cadmore then partnered briefly with Babar for a cautious 13-run stand before falling victim to Mir in the 10th over. He managed just five off nine deliveries.

Meanwhile, Babar Azam stood his ground firm and carried his bat till the 15th over before being cleaned up by Usama Mir after scoring a brilliant half-century.

He remained the top-scorer for Zalmi with a 40-ball 64 which featured seven boundaries and two sixes.

Babar was also involved in an important 51-run partnership for the third wicket with wicketkeeper batter Haseebullah Khan, who made a brisk 31. His 20-ball knock featured three boundaries and a six.

Following Haseebullah’s dismissal in the 17th over, Rovman Powell took the reigns of Zalmi’s batting charge and played an unbeaten 23-run cameo.

He received notable support from Asif Ali (10) and Aamer Jamal, who scored 12 not out off just five deliveries.

Usama Mir led the bowling charge for Multan Sultans with 3/32, followed by Chris Jordan, who bagged two.

Notably, former champions Multan Sultans have booked their place in the PSL 9 playoffs with a victory over Karachi Kings on Sunday.

Mohammad Rizwan-led side are currently at the summit of the standings with 12 points in seven matches. Whereas, Babar Azam’s Peshawar Zalmi are fourth with seven points in as many matches.

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RAWALPINDI: Peshawar Zalmi have won the toss and elected to bat against Multan Sultans in the 21st match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 9 here at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.

PLAYING XIs

Peshawar Zalmi: Saim Ayub, Babar Azam (c), Tom Kohler Cadmore, Haseebullah Khan, Rovman Powell, Asif Ali, Aamer Jamal, Luke Wood, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mehran Mumtaz, Salman Irshad.

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Multan Sultans: Mohammad Rizwan, Reeza Hendricks, Dawid Malan, Tayyab Tahir, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Chris Jordan, David Willey, Usama Mir, Aftab Ibrahim, Mohammad Ali.

HEAD TO HEAD

Matches 14, Multan Sultans 10, Peshawar Zalmi 4

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