Ronchi, Hales make merry as Islamabad secure playoff spot
Kieron Pollard's fighting 73 was not good enough as Multan finished their league campaign with a loss
Kieron Pollard's fighting 73 was not good enough as Multan finished their league campaign with a loss
Scorer: @Cricket_Lama | Commentator: @captainshanky
So, that's that as far as tonight's game goes. Hope you enjoyed our coverage as much as we did bringing it to you. Until next time, it's goodbye from Shashank Kishore and Sreshth Shah. Cheers!
A smiling Misbah at the presentation. "We want to keep doing the basics well under pressure," he says. "Overall, it was a very good performance. It's good to see the players achieve targets given to them. We've got a lot of momentum, lot of energy. It's important to continue this. We can't allow the momentum to switch."
Luke Ronchi is the Man of the Match for his blistering half-century
"As long as we win," he laughs, when asked about the 9000 USD cash prize over the last two games. "I lose my shape when I start slogging, so I try and react to deliveries. I'm still enjoying it. We've been playing some good cricket, consistent cricket. Hopefully we can continue that."
Shoaib Malik: It's tough for all of us and support staff (to sit and wait for results). If we lose, there are a lot of questions to answer. When we keep making mistakes after mistakes, there is bound to be anger. Tom Moody and Wasim Akram (coach and mentor) have also had such situations in their careers. It's about thinking calmly.
As things stand, Islamabad United and Quetta Gladiators are through. Multan will be out if Peshawar Zalmi win both their games.
11.50pm Luke Ronchi and Alex Hales played a stellar role in propelling Islamabad United to 185. The bowlers, led by Samit Patel and Faheem Ashraf diffused Multan Sultans' batting line-up to help cruise, only to suddenly be woken up by Pollard's blaze. But even that wasn't quite enough at the end. Multan have completed their quota of matches and now need a couple of results going their way should they have a chance of qualifying.
Mohammad Irfan b Amad Butt 0 (1b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00
Umar Gul c Asif Ali b Faheem Ashraf 10 (6b 0x4 1x6) SR: 166.66
Kieron Pollard's fighting 73 was not good enough as Multan finished their league campaign with a loss