PSL 2018, Match 25 Review: Islamabad United take the top spot on the table

I was a comprehensive rendition from Islamabad United, which helped them slump the Multan Sultans to their 4th straight defeat. The Sultans now find themselves at 4th position, with Peshawar Zalmi too knocking hard for that final playoff berth. After playing so well, it’ll be heartbreaking for the Sultans to miss out on the playoff spot.

The Sultans had won the toss earlier and decided to field first. They had the first smile as JP Duminy walked back in the 5th over. Luke Ronchi had already made his mark in the innings, but the experienced South African cricketer has been in good nick and that was a body blow for them. New recruit Alex Hales announced his arrival in grandstand fashion.

He started smashing boundaries right from the word go on tracks which assisted the bowlers more often this tournament. Ronchi and Hales made a mockery of the boundaries here at Sharjah and struck a few big hits. Their partnership of 45 runs inside no time set a great tone for the rest of the innings.

After Ronchi was dismissed for a well-made 58 off 36 balls, Hussain Talat joined the party to accompany Hales. He too was in full flow to take the opposition apart and the duo pounced hard on the Sultans’ bowlers. Hales fell just short of a fifty, but his contribution towards setting the momentum in the innings was immense.

The Sultans were posted a gigantic target of 185 runs. Hales scored 46 off 33 balls, whilst Talat returned with a 21-ball 36. Umar Gul was the pick of the bowlers, registering figures of 2/26 in 4 overs.

Early setback halts Sultans’ run chase

Samit Patel provided a wonderful start to the match, picking up two wickets in the very first over. Sangakkara and Said Badar were dismissed off the fourth and fifth ball respectively to help United take a very early lead in the run chase. They lost two more wickets in the Powerplay of Ahmed Shehzad and Sohaib Maqsood, which pulled them into deep trouble.

Kieron Pollard walked into the middle way before he must’ve anticipated. He played an absolute gem of an innings in this difficult situation and helped them get out of the initial trouble. Although his innings didn’t help them win the game, it played a major difference between the Sultans losing a bit respectfully.

He added 30 runs for the 5th wicket with Shoaib Malik and 40 runs for the next with Ross Whiteley. Despite all the struggle he was going through at one end, there was no decent support coming from the other end. Belittling all the negative facets, Pollard completed his fifty. The big Windies all-rounder scored 73 runs off 47 balls, which included 5 fours and 6 sixes.

Once Pollard was dismissed, it was a mere formality to wrap things up for the day. The Sultans got bowled out for 152 runs in 19.1 overs, losing the game by 33 runs. It was a wonderful collective bowling effort from the United contingent, with Smit Patel, Faheem Ashraf, Amad Butt, and Shadab Khan picking up braces.

Brief Scores

Islamabad United: 185/4 in 20 overs (Luke Ronchi 58, Alex Hales 46; Umar Gul 2/26)

Multan Sultans: 152 all out in 19.1 overs (Kieron Pollard 73; Samit Patel 2/11, Faheem Ashraf 2/27)

Player of the match: Luke Ronchi