With a flawless all-around performance, Jason Holder (32* off 14 and 4-25) helped Islamabad United defeat the Multan Sultans by 47 runs at Rawalpindi.
Sahibzada Farhan (53 off 35) and Colin Munro (48 off 25) led Islamabad’s batting performance, which helped them reach a strong total of 202 after rain forced a postponed start. Holder and Haider Ali (33 off 16) provided the ideal closing touches to guarantee their team a high total. Usman Khan (31 off 20) and Mohammad Rizwan (38 off 27) gave the Multan Sultans a strong start, but once their stand was broken, the innings stalled and they ultimately fell far short.
Things didn’t go as planned, though, as Islamabad United got off to a fantastic start by hammering 62 in the PowerPlay.
Given the sticky conditions and delayed start, Rizwan made the sensible choice to bowl at the toss. Even though Gous was out early, Farhan and Munro put in a lot of effort in the first six overs, showing no signs of relenting. It appeared that Islamabad would be held to a total of 185 or less after the Sultans made a strong comeback in the middle overs. But Haider and Holder arrived at the gathering to begin an exciting assault.
Islamabad United gained momentum from the strong finish and took the lead early on thanks to Naseem Shah’s early removal of Shai Hope. However, Rizwan and Usman used the PowerPlay to match their opponents in runs, so Multan didn’t appear to be troubled by the early wicket, much like in the Islamabad innings. The Sultans’ camp had hope as the two launched a counterattack, but Islamabad’s seasoned spin combination of Shadab Khan and Imad Wasim surged back into the match.
Shadab eliminated Rizwan to open the game while the left-arm spinner removed Usman. None of the Sultans’ batsmen were able to get any pace to their innings after that because the Islamabad United bowlers choked off the flow of runs. Despite his best efforts, Iftikhar Ahmed was far from his fluent self. Holder took advantage of the pressure on the scoreboard and made it a perfect game for himself by taking four wickets.
Brief scores: Multan Sultans 155 in 18.4 overs (Mohammad Rizwan 38, Usman Khan 31; Jason Holder 4-25) lost by 47 runs to Islamabad United 202/6 in 20 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 53, Colin Munro 48; Chris Jordan 2-41).
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