Sports Report
RAWALPINDI: Multan Sultans narrowly defeated Quetta Gladiators by merely nine runs to crush Gladiators’ hopes of qualifying for the playoff round.
Usman Khan smashed the fastest century of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) before Abbas Afridi’s five-wicket haul powered nervy Multan Sultans to edge Quetta Gladiators and put their playoff expedition to rest.
Yet another 💯 and a sizzling hattrick later, the Sultans of Multan emerged victorious. #HBLPSL8 I #SabSitarayHumaray | #QGvMS pic.twitter.com/ziKyCxq26Z
— PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) March 11, 2023
The Quetta Gladiators had a mountain to climb to stay alive in the PSL 8, as the former champions needed to pull off the highest-ever run chase. Eventually, they fell just nine runs short as they could accumulate 253/8 in 20 overs.
During the 28th fixture of the ongoing season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) on Saturday, a new history of T20 cricket was made at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi as Multan Sultans and Quetta Gladiators made the highest aggregate score in a T20 match.
The two teams together scored 515 runs, setting a new world record.
🚨RAINING RECORDS🚨
5⃣1⃣5⃣: This is the highest match aggregate in T20 cricket in the world. #HBLPSL8 I #SabSitarayHumaray | #QGvMS pic.twitter.com/xlzynehkGr
— PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) March 11, 2023
In response to the Sultans’ 262-run target, the Gladiators scored 253 runs, which is the highest ever scored by a team batting second in a T20.
The previous highest total score in a single T20 was 501 runs when the Titans scored 271 runs, and the Knights scored 230 runs in South Africa T20 Challenge in October 2022.
Despite their defeat, which knocked them out of the tournament’s playoff race, Gladiators scored 253 runs and got the highest score in the second innings.
Central District of New Zealand scored 248 runs in the second batting against Otago in 2016.
Multan Sultans batting
Put into bat first, the Sultans made full use of the ideal batting conditions on offer at the Pindi Cricket Stadium here and accumulated 262/3 – the highest total in PSL – at the back of a scintillating century by Usman.
The new opening pair of Multan Sultans – Usman and Mohammad Rizwan – charged the Gladiators’ bowlers right from the start as the pair took their side to 91/0 after the end of the first powerplay with Usman leading the baton charge.
The young right-handed batter was ruthless against his former franchise, so much so that he overshadowed Rizwan, who was scoring at around 200 striker rate.
Usman kept on dominating the bowlers and struck the fastest century of PSL in 36 balls, breaking his teammate Rilee Rossouw’s record, who achieved the milestone in 41 deliveries.
His belligerent hitting soon took the Sultans past 150 at the halfway mark, and thus, they were looking comfortable to become the first side to breach the 300-run mark in T20s.
Gladiators’ stand-in captain Mohammad Nawaz, finally found the breakthrough for his side as he got the dangerous Usman stumped on the first delivery of the 11th over.
Usman remained the top-scorer for the Sultans, scoring a quickfire 120 in mere 43 deliveries, laced up with 12 boundaries and nine sixes.
Following his dismissal, Sultans’ captain Rizwan looked to maintain their dominance over Gladiators and stitched a brief 30-run partnership with Rossouw, who perished cheaply for a nine-ball 15.
Rizwan then switched gears and led the attack from the front and soon brought up his half-century amid his third-wicket partnership with Tim David before Qais Ahmed got rid of him in the 15th over.
He scored a brisk 55 off 29 balls, smashing six boundaries and two sixes.
Kieron Pollard and David then made sure the Sultans did not lose their towards a massive total as the pair stitched an unbeaten 58-run stand at the backend.
David remained unbeaten with a 25-ball 43, which featured one boundary and four sixes, while Pollard scored 23 off 14.
For the Gladiators, Qais picked up two wickets while Nawaz could bag one.
