By Alam Zeb Safi
LAHORE: Josh Philippe and Ashton Turner batted well while spinner Momin Qamar was impressive with the leather as Multan Sultans took an impressive start to their HBL PSL 11 journey when they downed Islamabad United by five wickets in their opener at Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday.
Josh blasted a 35-ball 55 and skipper Ashton chipped in with a 43 not out to enable Sultans to chase a 172-run target with eight balls to spare after losing five wickets in the process.
Earlier Momin Qamar took 3-24 in three overs to help Sultans restrict Islamabad United to 171-8 in the allotted 20 overs.
Chasing a tricky target Multan Sultans had a shaky start. Left-arm spinner Imad Wasim got rid of Sahibzada Farhan (2) early.
Stumper Josh Philippe and Steven Smith then tried to stabilize the innings and added 45 runs for the second wicket stand.
Medium pacer Salman Irshad broke the partnership when he got rid of Steven Smith for a 23-ball 31 which featured three sixes and one four.
Shadab Khan then removed Shan Masood (6) to leave Sultans at 70-3 in the ninth over. At this stage skipper Ashton Turner and Josh Philippe batted extremely well and shared 61 runs for the fourth wicket partnership to keep their team’s chances alive.
Shadab Khan broke this stand by removing Philippe who chipped in with a 35-ball 55, striking two sixes and five fours. His fifty came off 32 balls.
Arafat Minhas then joined Ashton Turner and the 21-year old, who is the elder brother of rookie Sameer Minhas, hit a quick-fire 11-ball 25 before being dislodged by Salman Irshad. He hammered one six and four fours to take his team very close to victory.
Ashton Turner (43 not out) and Mohammad Nawaz (7 not out) then scored the remaining runs with ease to gift Sultans with a well-deserved victory. Turner struck three fours and one six in his 28-ball unbeaten knock.
Salman Irshad (2-28) and Shadab Khan (2-36) bowled well for United.
Earlier Islamabad United posted a competitive total of 171-8 in their allotted 20 overs after being asked to bat first, building their innings on a series of useful contributions rather than a single dominant performance.
The United openers Devon Conway and Sameer Minhas gave their side a steady start, stitching together a 48-run partnership inside the first six overs. Conway looked fluent during his 26 off 23 balls, striking three fours and a six before Peter Siddle provided the breakthrough to halt Islamabad’s early momentum.
Following Conway’s departure, Andries Gous joined Sameer Minhas at the crease but he fell to Arafat Minhas for just 11.
Islamabad struggled to build long partnerships thereafter, losing wickets at regular intervals. Sameer Minhas, who had been one of the more composed batsmen, was also dismissed by left-arm wrist spinner Momin Qamar after scoring 28 off 21 balls, an innings laced with two sixes and a four.
With the innings in need of impetus, New Zealand’s Mark Chapman stepped up to anchor the middle phase. Chapman played a key hand, scoring a quick-fire 40 off 21 balls, striking three fours and two sixes to push United towards a competitive total.
Faheem Ashraf provided valuable late-order acceleration, contributing 26 off 17 balls to ensure Islamabad finished strongly despite the lack of a substantial partnership in the latter stages.
Among the bowlers, Momin Qamar stood out with an impressive spell, claiming 3-24 in his three overs. Mohammad Waseem Junior also made important inroads, picking up 2-42 in his four overs.
Despite frequent setbacks, Islamabad United managed to post a reasonably good total of 171-8, setting up an intriguing contest in the second innings.
