MULTAN, Feb 15 (APP): Fast bowler Ehsanullah destroyed Quetta Gladiators batting lineup by taking 5 wickets guiding Multan Sultans to a convincing 9-wicket victory in the third match of PSL-8 at Multan on Wednesday night.
Earlier, Multan Sultans chose to bowl after winning the toss, a decision that proved fruitful.
Finishing with impressive figures of 5/12, six feet tall right arm fast bowler Ehsanullah was a sensation to watch as he broke the rival’s batting backbone sending main batsmen to pavillion.
The 150+ km/h bowler clean bowled Gladiators captain Sarfraz Ahmad, Naseem Shah, got Iftikhar Ahmad pinned before stumps on the very first ball, Umar Akmal caught behind and Jason Roy was out by throwing his wicket in the safe hands of Miller.
It was the fast bowling battery of Multan Sultans that did the ultimate damage as the rest of the two bowlers Sameen Gull and Abbas Afridi shared two wickets each, reducing Gladiators to a manageable total of just 110 in 18.5 overs. Osama Meer claimed one wicket.
Multan Sultans surpassed the total after losing just one wicket with Rilee Rossouw leading from the front with an unbeaten 78, another big performance finishing the game for Multan in the 14th over after fast bowlers set the stage for a seemingly easy victory.
Multan Sultans captain Muhammad Rizwan also remained unbeaten at 28 while Shan Masood (3) was the only wicket Sultans had lost in pursuit of triumph.
Scorers from Gladiators included Jason Roy (27), Husnain (22), Muhammad Hafeez (18), Muhammad Nawaz (14) and Umar Akmal (11). Ehsanullah was declared the player of the match.
Speaking to mediapersons, Rilee Rossouw said he was happy his contribution was part of Multan Sultans victory. He said that the pitch was bowling friendly in the first innings but became better for batters to bat on in the second innings.
“Conditions definitely got better towards the second inning. The ball was drifting more in the first innings, our bowlers recognize that and bowled well. It was a little bit better and easier to bat on in the second innngs,” Rossouw said. “It was’nt that we were batting on a completely different wicket but it was a little easier to bat on later.”
