Quetta Gladiators concluded their league stage on a gallant note when middle-order batter Hasan Nawaz struck a last-ball six to steer his team to victory over Multan Sultans in the 28th match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 10 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
Chasing a challenging target of 186, the Gladiators got off to a flying start as the opening pair of skipper Saud Shakeel and Khawaja Nafay came out with an aggressive intent.
The duo stitched together a quickfire 60-run partnership in the powerplay, laying a strong foundation.
Nafay was the standout performer, bringing up yet another PSL half-century with a flurry of boundaries. His 51 off just 26 balls, featuring five fours and four sixes at a strike rate of 196.15, kept the required rate in check.
The 77-run opening stand was broken when Shahid Aziz removed Nafay. Soon after, skipper Saud Shakeel fell for a sluggish 18 off 24 balls, leaving Quetta at 81/2 in 8.5 overs.
Sri Lankan batter Avishka Fernando, playing his first PSL 10 match, failed to make an impact and departed for 7, again to Shahid Aziz, reducing the Gladiators to 87/3.
Veteran Sri Lankan Dinesh Chandimal kept the scoreboard ticking alongside Hassan Nawaz, pushing the total past the 100-run mark. Chandimal’s short but vital knock of 17 off 10 ended at 116/4, courtesy of Ubaid Shah.
The collapse continued as Danish Aziz was dismissed for a duck by Peter Hatzoglou, and Faheem Ashraf, after contributing 16, fell at a crucial juncture with the score at 159/6 in 17.1 overs.
Mohammad Wasim Jr was run out for just 1 in the 18th over, intensifying the pressure.
However, Hassan Nawaz stood firm. With 11 runs needed off the final over, the young batter kept his nerve.
He finished the match in style, smashing a six off the last ball to seal the win. Nawaz remained unbeaten on a match-winning 67 off 38 balls, guiding his side home in a nail-biting finish.
Earlier, Gladiators bowlers restricted Sultans to 185/7.
Batting first, Multan Sultans got off to a flying start as Yasir Khan smashed back-to-back boundaries in the opening over, setting the tone for a high-scoring innings.
However, the Sultans faced an early setback in the second over when skipper Mohammad Rizwan, who had hit the first delivery for four, was clean bowled by Faheem Ashraf, leaving the side at 12/1 after 1.2 overs.
Yasir Khan then partnered with Jahanzeib Sultan to build a steady 52-run stand for the second wicket. Both batters took on the Gladiators’ bowling, finding boundaries and maintaining the scoring rate.
The partnership was broken when Jahanzeib fell for 25 off 21 balls, dismissed by Usman Tariq as Multan reached 64/2 in 6.5 overs.
Yasir continued to anchor the innings with an aggressive approach, aiming for a half-century.
However, his promising knock was halted on 45 off 25 deliveries when he was dismissed by Usman Tariq, who picked up his second wicket. Multan stood at 79/3 after nine overs.
Tayyab Tahir and Humayon Altaf then took charge, adding 41 runs for the fourth wicket. The stand was broken when Khurram Shahzad dismissed Altaf for 16 off 13 balls, reducing the Sultans to 120/4 in 13.2 overs.
Tayyab Tahir, who had been in good touch, was dismissed in the 15th over after scoring 36 off 24 balls. Usman Tariq claimed his third wicket of the match, leaving Multan at 136/5.
The Sultans continued to lose wickets in the latter stages, with Abrar Ahmed removing Peter Hatzoglou for just one run. Aamer Azmat, however, played a vital cameo in the death overs, hitting a massive six off Khurram Shahzad to push the team past 150 in the 18th over.
In the final over, Mohammad Wasim Jr. claimed his first wicket, ending a 35-run stand by dismissing Shahid Aziz, who scored a brisk 29 off 14 balls. Multan stood at 181/7 with one ball remaining.
Aamer Azmat remained unbeaten on 21 off 16 balls, while Mohammad Hasnain struck a boundary in the final over to close out the innings.
Usman Tariq was the pick of the bowlers for Quetta, finishing with impressive figures of 3/32 in his four overs. Khurram Shahzad, Faheem Ashraf, Abrar Ahmed and Mohammad Wasim Jr. chipped in with a wicket apiece.
Playing XIs
Multan Sultans: Mohammad Rizwan (c/wk), Jahanzeib Sultan, Tayyab Tahir, Humayon Altaf, Yasir Khan, Aamer Azmat, Shahid Aziz, Peter Hatzglou, Dilshan Madushanka, Mohammad Hasnain, Ubaid Shah.
Quetta Gladiators: Saud Shakeel (c), Avishka Fernando, Hasan Nawaz, Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Khawaja Nafay, Faheem Ashraf, Danish Aziz, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Abrar Ahmed, Khurram Shahzad, Usman Tariq.
