KARACHI, Pakistan, CMC – A blistering 53 from Johnson Charles helped set up Multan Sultans for a comfortable 79-run win against Quetta Gladiators in Tuesday’s final preliminary match of the Pakistan Super League.
Charles struck six fours and three sixes from 29 balls and shared a half-century stand with his captain Mohammad Rizwan that propelled the Sultans to 185 for four after they were put in to bat in the Twenty20 match at the National Cricket Stadium.
Retired England left-arm pacer David Willey, son of former England batsman Peter Willey, and Pakistan leg-spinner Usama Mir ended with identical figures of three for 22 off four and 3.5 overs, respectively, and the Gladiators were bowled out for 106 in 15.5 overs.
The result meant that Sultans finished the preliminary phase of the tournament on top of the standings with 14 points from their ten matches—only one point ahead of second-placed Peshawar Zalmi. Islamabad United ended third on 11 points, and Gladiators next on the same number of points with an inferior run rate.
The four teams will advance to the playoffs when the Sultans face Zalmi in the major semi-final on Thursday at the same venue, where United meets the Gladiators on Friday in the minor semi-final.
The winner of the minor semi-final will progress to the Grand Final on Sunday, and the loser will play the winner of the minor semi-final in the preliminary final for a place in the Grand Final.
It was a resounding win for the Sultans, who will enter the tournament’s final phase believing that they could clinch another PSL title after outclassing the Gladiators in all game departments.
Willey triggered the Gladiator’s slide in the Power Play when he trapped fellow England international Jason Roy lbw for three in the third over and bowled South Africa international Rilee Roussouw for 10 in the fifth.
In between, opener Saud Shakeel was run out for 14 in the third over, and Gladiators closed the Power Play on a shaky 46 for three.
Mir practically carved up the rest of the batting with Pakistan pacer Muhammad Abbas Afridi, nephew of former Pakistan pacer Umar Gul, who got West Indies left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein caught behind for six in the 13th over – and never allowed Gladiators off the hook.
Charles and Rizwan defied an untrustworthy pitch, and they scored the bulk of the Sultans’ runs, putting on 68 for the third wicket.
Sultans were 43 for one at the close of the Power Play, and they also benefitted from a 52-run stand between Rizwan and Usman Khan for the second wicket.
Khan made 21, and Iftikhar Ahmed put the cherry on top with a cameo 20 off eight balls, which put the contest out of the Gladiators’ reach.
Hosein ended with no wickets for 26 from four overs.
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