The 8th match of PSL 2022 will see Shadab Khan's Islamabad United lock horns with defending champions Multan Sultans at the National Stadium in Karachi.
Islamabad got off to a perfect start to their campaign as they thumped Peshawar Zalmi by nine wickets in their opening fixture.
Chasing 169, the win was set up by the opening duo of Paul Stirling and Alex Hales. The swashbuckling duo took Zalmi's attack to the cleaners by hammering 112 runs in a mere 9.4 overs.
The onslaught was finally ended when Stirling (57 off 25 deliveries) was run out by Wahab Riaz. However, it did not affect Hales one bit as he continued his onslaught on the Zalmi bowlers. Hales smashed an unbeaten 82 off 54 deliveries and along with Rahmanullah Gurbaz (27 off 16 deliveries) took his side past the finishing line in just the 16th over.
United would be chuffed to bits after their commanding win but they would do well to guard against complacency as a stern test awaits them in the form of defending champions Multan.
Having won their first two fixtures while chasing, Multan showed their versatility in their last game against the Quetta Gladiators as they became the first side in the competition to win batting first.
Skipper Rizwan endured a rare failure as he was dismissed on a second-ball duck but Shan Masood's whirlwind 58-ball 88 and a brisk cameo from Tim David (28*off 16 deliveries) ensured that Multan posted 4/174 in 20 overs.
Defending 175, Multan looked well on course to victory after they had reduced Quetta to 6/108 in the 15th over. The wrecker-in-chief was Khushdil Shah, who claimed 3/16, which included the prized scalps of Ahsan Ali (24 off 19 deliveries) and Will Smeed (3 off 5 deliveries).
But the game took a turn in the 17th over when Iftikhar Ahmed (30* off 13 deliveries) smashed Imran Khan for 24 runs.
However, David Willey (3/22 in 3.5 overs) ensured that Multan's unbeaten streak remained intact as the English left-arm seamer conceded just 4 runs off his last 12 deliveries in the 18th and 20th over besides claiming three wickets to seal an epic heist.
This victory would have given Multan a lot of confidence considering the fact that they won it while defending a target. It will be interesting to see what they opt for if Rizwan wins the toss against Islamabad.
Match Details - Islamabad United vs Multan Sultans, PSL 2022
Date: 1st February 2022
Time: 8 PM IST
Venue: National Stadium, Karachi
Broadcast: Sony Six, Sony Six HD, SonyLiV app and website
Pitch Report
Multan Sultans became the first side in the tournament to win a game while defending in their last fixture. However, it still doesn't change the fact that the conditions still favour sides chasing. The average first innings score in five night games thus far is 154.2.
Squads:
Islamabad United:
Shadab Khan (c), Asif Ali, Azam Khan (wk), Athar Mahmood, Marchant de Lange, Danish Aziz, Alex Hales, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Wasim, Mubasir Khan, Muhammad Akhlaq (wk), Muhammad Musa, Colin Munro, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Paul Stirling, Zafar Gohar, Zahir Khan, Zeeshan Zameer
Multan Sultans:
Mohammad Rizwan (C & WK), Tim David, Shan Masood, Rilee Rossouw, Johnson Charles, Imran Tahir, Sohaib Maqsood, Khushdil Shah, Shahnawaz Dahani, Rumman Raees, Asif Afridi, Anwar Ali, Imran Khan Snr, Amir Azmat, Blessing Muzarabani, Ihsanullah, David Willey, Rizwan Hussain
Probable Playing XI:
Islamabad United:
Paul Stirling, Alex Hales, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Mubasir Khan, Azam Khan (WK), Shadab Khan ©, Asif Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Hasan Ali, Marchant de Lange
Multan Sultans:
Shan Masood, Mohammad Rizwan (C & WK), Sohaib Maqsood, Rilee Rossouw, Tim David, Khushdil Shah, David Willey, Imran Khan, Shahnawaz Dahani, Imran Tahir, Abbas Afridi
CE Fantasy XI:
Mohammad Rizwan (C & WK), Shan Masood, Paul Stirling, Alex Hales, Tim David, Khushdil Shah, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, David Willey, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Imran Tahir
Captain: Mohammad Rizwan
Vice captain: Alex Hales