MULTAN, Pakistan: Multan Sultans limited the batting power of Islamabad United through pace and notched their second straight win in the Pakistan Super League on Tuesday.
Fast bowler Mohammad Ali grabbed 3-19 as he swung the new ball well and delivered some eye-catching yorkers in the death overs to bowl out Islamabad for 144.
Reeza Hendricks then followed his unbeaten 79 in Multan’s win over Karachi Kings with 58 off 46 balls to lead last year’s finalists to 145-5 for a five-wicket win in the last over.
Islamabad was let down by some sloppy fielding as Imad Wasim dropped first Hendricks and then Mohammad Rizwan, who went on to score 43 off 33 balls and shared a 71-run stand with Hendricks.
Naseem Shah, returning from a shoulder injury, bowled an eventful first over when he clean bowled Dawid Malan for zero as the fast bowler looked to get into rhythm with figures of 2-29 off his four overs.
Islamabad lost the wickets of Alex Hales and Colin Munro cheaply inside the batting powerplay after Rizwan won the toss and elected to field.
Ali shattered the stumps of Munro with a sharp delivery that darted into the lefthander from around the wicket and Hales was caught at deep square leg while attempting a big shot against David Willey.
Salman Ali Agha (52) and Jordan Cox (41) both capitalized on dropped catches by Khushdil Shah and raised a 68-run stand. Leg-spinner Usama Mir (2-29) chipped in with quick wickets of Cox and power-hitter Azam Khan (13) that pushed back Islamabad.
Skipper Shadab Khan, who scored a prolific half-century in Islamabad’s opening win over Lahore Qalandars, added 35 with Agha, but Abbas Afridi (3-33) and Ali struck with regular intervals in the death overs before Islamabad innings folded.
Afridi varied his pace intelligently and had Shadab clean bowled off a length ball and then Khushdil made amends of his two early fielding lapses by having Agha caught in the deep off Afridi’s leg-cutter.
Ali wrapped up the tail by grabbing two wickets in the last over before running out Naseem off the last ball.
Multan joined Quetta Gladiators atop the table with four points from two wins while Islamabad has two points from two games.
Multan defeats Islamabad through pace for back-to-back wins in PSL
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Multan defeats Islamabad through pace for back-to-back wins in PSL
- Mohammad Ali grabbed 3-19 as he swung the new ball well and delivered some eye-catching yorkers in the death overs to bowl out Islamabad for 144
- Reeza Hendricks then followed his unbeaten 79 in Multan’s win over Karachi Kings with 58 off 46 balls to lead last year’s finalists to 145-5
NEOM concede at the death for the second week in a row as Al-Taawoun salvage late draw
- NEOM narrowly lost to Al-Nassr 1-0 last weekend after Mohamed Simakan scored an injury-time winner
- Al-Taawoun followed up with a late equalizer by Mohammed Al-Kuwaykibi to deny them three points
RIYADH: The Saudi Pro League returned for Matchday 26, with the table beginning to take its final shape as the season enters its final quarter. The title contenders kick off on Friday and Saturday, but Thursday’s action focused on a clash between upper mid-table sides NEOM and Al-Taawoun, alongside three relegation-battlers — Al-Najma, Damac and Al-Kholood — attempting to improve their standings.
In Tabuk, NEOM played out a 2-2 draw with Al-Taawoun, this season’s surprise package under the returning Pericles Chamusca. After a brilliant start to the campaign that saw them spend much of the season in the top four, a poor run of just one win in their last eight games has followed.
Al-Taawoun’s late equaliser was vital in their bid to maintain a spot in the top five. With Al-Ittihad lurking just three points behind and yet to play this weekend, every point matters for the Wolves of Qassim. Regardless, it has become a painful second half of the season for Chamusca’s side, as they now sit 12 points behind the top four.
After a heroic performance from Luis Maximiano against Al-Nassr last weekend, NEOM were unfortunate to leave Riyadh empty-handed after conceding at the death. There were still plenty of positives from the defeat, as Christophe Galtier’s squad appear to have finally hit second gear this season.
Calm and collected against Al-Nassr, they repeated the same approach against Al-Taawoun. Knowing their opponents thrive on space in the transition, NEOM prevented them from accessing wingers Marin Petkov and Biel, leaving star striker Roger Martinez isolated for most of the match.
Amadou Koné and Abdoulaye Doucouré did their part to disrupt the centre of Al-Taawoun’s block, with the former driving forward and the latter drifting in between the lines to create the opener. In the 23rd minute, Al-Taawoun’s defence were pulled apart as Luciano Rodríguez met Doucouré’s precise through ball to slot home.
NEOM maintained their composure throughout the match, but it took a wonder strike from Martinez to bring the visitors level in the 70th minute, the Colombian producing a superb strike from distance.
It only took six minutes for NEOM to respond. Saïd Benrahma broke down the Al-Taawoun defence once again, releasing Alexandre Lacazette for a powerful finish to restore the hosts’ lead.
Despite the strong performance from NEOM, they ultimately fell victim to another late setback. Substitute Mohammed Al-Kuwaykibi surged down the flank in stoppage time before cutting inside and curling a precise finesse shot beyond Maximiano to salvage a point.
Elsewhere, Damac continued their resurgence under Fabio Carrille with a 3-1 victory over Al-Najma, who remain rooted to the bottom of the table. The win moves Damac six points clear of Al-Riyadh in the relegation zone, while Al-Najma sit 14 points from safety with eight matches remaining.
Meanwhile, Al-Hazem secured a late victory after Abdulaziz Al-Dwehe netted an 86th-minute winner in a 2-1 triumph over Al-Kholood. It was a frustrating night for the Saudi Pro League’s all-time leading scorer Omar Al-Somah, who missed a penalty for the winners in the 60th minute.
Saudi Pro League action resumes on Friday, with Al-Fayha hosting Al-Ettifaq and Al-Riyadh welcoming Al-Ittihad at 10:00pm. The headline fixture of the evening — kicking off at the same time — sees second-placed Al-Ahli travel to face fourth-placed Al-Qadsiah. Victory for Al-Ahli against tough opposition would strengthen their title push, while defeat for Al-Qadsiah could effectively end their unlikely championship hopes.
