Hassan’s heroic cameo steers Gladiators to dramatic win over Sultans

DUBAI: Quetta Gladiators won by two wickets against tournament-favourites Multan Sultans in a nail-biting thriller at the Dubai International Stadium on Wednesday.  

Gladiators successfully chased down the 153-run target on the second-last ball of the innings as tail-ender Hassan Khan dispatched a slower ball bowled by Kieron Pollard over the mid-wicket boundary for six. 

Fast bowler Umar Gul made a return by marking his career-best bowling figures, taking six wickets for 24 runs and completing 200 wickets in T20s.

Gul's spell was the second best in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) after Bopara’s 6/16 in 2016. 

Earlier, a fiery unbeaten knock by skipper Shoaib Malik (65 runs off 43 balls) in the death overs lifted table-toppers Multan Sultans to a 152-run total against Gladiators in the 17th match of the tournament. 

Second Innings

Gladiators openers, Shane Watson and Asad Shafiq, gave a flying opening to the team, the Sarfraz-led team suffered its first loss with the wicket of Watson (26) by fast bowler Umar Gul. 

Two overs later Gul also took the wicket of Shafiq (20).

In an attempt to play a reverse-sweep top-order batsman Kevin Pieterson threw away his wicket on the ball of skipper Malik.

Ramiz Raja Junior played a brief cameo of 22 runs before falling prey to a flipper by leg-spinner Imran Tahir.

The most interesting bit was the controversial catches accepted and discarded in the match, where the umpires turned down catch appeal against Rossouw, they gave OUT on a controversial catch carried by Shan Masood.

Spinner Hassan Khan's match-winning six sealed Gladiators' victory over Sultans.

First Innings 

The match commenced with the wicket of Kumar Sangakkara on the very first ball of the innings by Muhammad Nawaz. Golden duck for the Sri Lankan legend. 

The next to be dismissed was Ahmed Shehzad on the next over of fast bowler Anwar Ali (1). 

The next to return to the pavilion was all-rounder Sohail Tanveer, his flashy cameo of 19 runs off 15 balls ended by a full inswinging delivery which hit into the stumps.

In-form batsman Sohaib Maqsood (27) was dismissed by PSL debutant Ben Laughlin on 12.4 overs. The fast bowler took an lbw wicket. The batsman scored two boundaries and one six.

The entry of skipper Malik turned the tables for Sultans; with four boundaries and three sixes in the late overs, the 'Men in Green' extended the total to 152.

Both the sides made changes in their final playing-11 as Kevin Pietersen, Asad Shafiq and Ben Laughlin were included in place of Mahmudullah, Umar Amin and John Hastings.