Decisive Sultans thrash stumbling Rawalpindiz in one-sided showdown

The debutants Rawalpindiz still haven’t been able to crack the right code that can help them register their first win in the HBL PSL.

The Mohammad Rizwan-led side stumbled again, this time against Multan Sultans, who chased down 183 for the loss of three wickets in Lahore on Monday night to hand them their fourth successive defeat.

In the third encounter, it was Azam Khan’s late onslaught that snatched the game away from the Pindiz, and tonight it was Sahibzada Farhan (68) and Josh Philippe’s (56) masterful displays with the willow that took Sultans to victory in just 16.2 overs.

Although a valiant 56 not out from Sam Billings gave Rawalpindiz a glimmer of hope at the halfway stage, their bowlers had no answer to Sultans’ in-form Farhan, who meant business from the onset, pouncing on anything loose while keeping the scoreboard ticking.

Philippe, meanwhile, combined with Farhan to forge a blazing 110-run partnership for the second wicket, during which both batters reached their respective half-centuries.

The partnership was eventually broken by Mohammad Amir in the 12th over, who outfoxed Philippe with a slower delivery; Philippe finished with 56 off 30 balls, comprising six fours and three sixes. Farhan also followed suit, scoring 68 off 36 balls with five sixes and four fours.

Following the back-to-back wickets, skipper Ashton Turner and Shan Masood batted sensibly at the backend, steering their side to victory on the second delivery of the 17th over with an unbeaten 47-run partnership. Masood remained unbeaten on 27 off 15 balls, while Turner finished 26 not out from just 10 deliveries.

For the Pindiz, who are now languishing at the second last position on the points table, the pick of the bowlers was Mohammad Amir with two wickets for 32 runs in three overs, while Mohammad Amir Khan claimed one.

Billings’ fighting 56

After being invited to bat first, Rawalpindiz posted a competitive 182-run total for the loss of eight wickets in 20 overs on the back of Sam Billings magnificent 56 not out and Dian Forrester’s quick-fire 24 off 11 balls.

The standout performer in the Lahore night skies was Multan Sultans left-arm spinner Faisal Akram, who registered figures of four for 31 in four overs.

The debutant franchise had a torrid start to their innings as Yasir Khan was shown the door with just 15 runs on the board.

While their skipper Mohammad Rizwan continued to struggle in the third successive match of PSL 11, scoring just 19 runs before getting dismissed by Arafat Minhas.

On the other hand, Kamran Ghulam held the team’s ship intact, rotating the strike and punishing anything loose during his 24-ball 35 that included three fours and two sixes.

The right-hander was removed by Faisal after holding a mistimed shot at square leg in the 10th over.

The Kiwi all-rounder Daryll Mitchell looked good during his 17-run short stint at the wicket before he threw his wicket away by holding a straightforward catch to Faisal.

However, Billings kept his team in the game with a valiant 56 off 34 deliveries, studded with seven fours and a six. He also shared a 33-run partnership for the sixth wicket with Dian Forrester, who played a blistering 24-run cameo featuring three sixes.

For the Sultans, Akram spearheaded the bowling charts, followed by Minhas, who bagged two wickets, while Peter Siddle and Ismail chipped in with one scalp apiece.