MULTAN: Agha Salman’s terrific half-century and a decent knock of 41 by Jordan Cox took Islamabad United to a fighting total of 144 against Multan Sultan in the 9th match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 9th edition being underway at Multan.
After winning the toss, Multan Sultan skipper Muhammad Rizwan invited Islamabad United to bat first. Multan dominated United from the very first over and managed to get rid of both the openers in the first four overs. Alex Hales was dismissed by David Willey on just 2, while Colin Munro scored just 8 runs before being bowled out by Muhammad Ali.
After losing two quick wickets, the inform Agha Salman and Jordan Cox came to the rescue. Both the batters added 68 crucial runs to the total. However, in the 12th over, Usama Mir managed to break the partnership and got Cox Leg Before the Wicket on 41. At the stage, Islamabad United were 82 for 3 in 11.3 overs. Cox was replaced by Azam Khan. However, he was also dismissed by Usama Mir on 13 runs. At this stage, United were 100 for the loss of 4 wickets in 13.4 overs. Azam was followed by the dismissal of Imad Waseem, who went for a duck, while Shadab Khan scored just 11. Both were dismissed by Abbas Afridi. Meanwhile, Agha Salman completed his terrific half-century; however, in the same over, he was also dismissed by Afridi on 52. At the stage, Islamabad United were 141 for 7 in 18.4 overs. The tail added a few scores to the total. Islamabad United scored 144 all out in the 20 overs.
From Multan, Sultan Muhammad Ali and Abbas Afridi got three wickets each, Usama Mir grabbed 2 while David Willey took one wicket.
Multan Sultan registered its first win against Karachi Kings by 55 runs, while United outclassed Lahore Qalandar to grab precious points in their first match.
Multan Sultans XI
Muhammad Rizwan (c & wk), Dawid Malan, Reeza Hendricks, Yasir Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, David Willey (vc), Usama Mir, Abbas Afridi, Muhammad Ali, Olly Stone
Islamabad United XI
Alex Hales, Colin Munro, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan (c), Azam Khan (wk), Jordan Cox, Imad Wasim, Faheem Ashraf, Naseem Shah, Ubaid Shah, Tymal Mills
