Multan Sultans’ Abbas Afridi Claims First Hat-Trick of PSL 2023: Watch
Published By: Ritayan Basu
Last Updated: March 13, 2023, 12:09 IST
Multan Sultans’ Abbas Afridi (Twitter)
Abbas Afridi picked up the maiden hat-trick of the Pakistan Super League 2023 and ended with a five-wicket haul
Multan Sultans’ Abbas Afridi grabbed the maiden hat-trick of this year’s Pakistan Premier League (PSL). Playing against Quetta Gladiators, Afridi initiated the consecutive blows in the 17th over which saw Mohammad Nawaz and Umaid Asif being caught by Kieron Pollard in the final two deliveries. Coming to complete his spell in the 19th over, the youngster got rid of in-form batter Umar Akmal in the first ball, baffling him with a slower delivery. With Akmal’s wicket, Afridi wrapped up the game as the highest wicket-taker among the Quetta bowlers, picking up 5 wickets.
Batting first, Multan Sultans posted a mammoth 262 runs, powered by a commendable performance by their opening pair of Usman Khan and Mohammad Rizwan. The duo stitched a 157-run partnership in the first ten overs before Usman departed for a 43-ball 120. Rizwan registered a well-composed 55 in 29 deliveries, while Tim David played a blazing cameo of 43 runs off 25 balls.
Though it looked like an easy target to defend for the Sultans, Quetta batters Omeir Yousuf and Iftikhar Ahmed made things difficult for them before Abbad Afridi came to the rescue, scything through the Quetta middle order. He removed Iftikhar for 53, while Yousuf fell victim to Ihsanullah after registering a 36-ball 67. The upcoming batters failed to spend a longer period on the crease with Afridi being at the top of his form. In the end, the Gladiators fell short of 9 runs of the massive target.
Following his match-winning spell, which folded up with a figure of 47/5, Abbas Afridi was named the Player of the March. Among others, Ihsanullan got two wickets under his belt and Anwar Ali took one. With two back-to-back victories, Multan Sultans have now occupied the second spot in the PSL table with 12 points in 10 matches, trailing behind only Lahore Qalandars. Meanwhile, Quetta Gladiators are pushed to the bottom of the tally with three victories in the tournament.
As the tournament has already entered the final phase, Multan will take on Lahore for the first playoff on March 15, while Islamabad United will cross swords against Peshawar Zalmi in the second playoff on March 16.
Keywords: Abbas Afridi, Multan Sultans vs Quetta Gladiators, Abbas Afridi hat trick, Pakistan Super League, PSL Playoff
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