Table-topping Multan round off home leg of PSL by handing Quetta first loss

Table-topping Multan Sultans (pictured) rounded off their home leg of the Pakistan Super League by handing Quetta Gladiators a first defeat on Sunday. (X/@MultanSultans)

MULTAN: Table-topping Multan Sultans rounded off their home leg of the Pakistan Super League by handing Quetta Gladiators a first defeat on Sunday.
Half centuries by Reeza Hendricks (72) and captain Mohammad Rizwan (51) provided Multan with a strong total of 180-4 with Tayyab Tahir also contributing a meaningful 35 off 22 balls in his first game of the season after Dawid Malan fell ill.
Quetta failed to capitalize on good starts and were restricted to 167-9 as fast bowlers Mohammad Ali (3-19) and David Willey (3-37) led Multan to a convincing 13-run win.
Ali, who thrived with both the new and old balls, is the leading wicket-taker in the tournament with 13.
Multan’s four wins in five home games gave last year’s finalist eight points while Quetta, who won three successive games before Sunday’s loss, are second with six points. Multan’s only setback to date came at the hands of Peshawar Zalmi.
“You can’t get satisfied because it will be a different challenge when we play our five away games,” Rizwan said.
Ali hit the top of Jason Roy’s (12) off stump in his second over as the Englishman exposed his stumps while attempting a big shot. Willey also struck inside the power play when he had Saud Shakeel (24) caught at long-on before captain Rilee Rossouw (30) and young Pakistan batting sensation Khawaja Nafay (36) dragged Quetta back into the game.
Rossouw fell to a brilliant low catch by Khushdil Shah in the covers that ended a threatening 62-run stand and Ali had Nafay caught off a slower ball in his return spell as Quetta’s chase got derailed after it slipped to 124-5 in the 15th over.
Willey plucked a brilliant skier off his own bowling to dismiss Sherfane Rutherford and Ali capped another impressive day by having Mohammad Amir clean bowled off a full-pitched delivery.
Earlier, after being sent in to bat, Hendricks featured in two solid partnerships and scored his third half century of the season in five games.
Hendricks added 79 runs with Rizwan for the second wicket and contributed a further 77 with Tahir by counterattacking pacers Amir (2-46) and Mohammad Wasim (0-41) in the death overs.
Rizwan was dismissed soon after completing his half century when he holed out at deep mid-wicket. Hendricks’ robust 47-ball knock that featured four sixes and seven fours ended in the last over when he was caught in the deep while going for a big shot against Amir.