Mohammad Rizwan scored a fighting half-centuries as Multan Sultans beat Karachi Kings in match 23 of the Pakistan Super League season seven on Wednesday.
Chasing a respectable 175-run target, the openers produced a clinical performance with the bat as they went over the winning line in 19.3 overs with seven wickets in hand.
The duo provided a 100-run opening stand to setup a solid platform for the upcoming batters. Shan fell after scoring 45 off 41, a bit slow by his standards.
Meanwhile, Captain Rizwan played an anchor’s role in the chase. He scored 76 off 56 balls with the help of eight boundaries for the defending champions.
He was well supported by Khushdil Shah (21* off nine), Rillee Rossouw (14* off five) and Tim David (13).
Mir Hamza claimed figures of two for 24 in his four over spell for Karachi Kings.
After opting to bat, Kings went off to a slow start as Rumman Raees, who was playing his second match this season, removed captain Babar Azam (2) in his first over.
Sharjeel Khan and Joe Clarke made a great recovery as they scored 72 runs for the second wicket. Clarke, who was anchoring the innings at a good strike rate, was removed by Imran Tahir.
The Englishman scored 40 off just 29 balls with the help of three boundaries and two maximums.
Sharjeel walked back to the dugout in the next over courtesy of Khushdil Shah after scoring 36 off 34.
Imad Wasim (32 off 16) Rohail Nazir (21 off 12) and Mohammad Nabi (21 off 15) played good cameos to guide the team to a fighting total of 174-6 in their allotted 20 overs.
Shahnawaz Dahani bagged two wickets while, Rumman Raees, Blessing Muzarabani, Imran Tahir and Khushdil Shah claimed a wicket each for Sultans.