Turner, Philippe power Multan Sultans to clinical win over Islamabad United

Multan Sultans breezed to a five-wicket victory over Islamabad United thanks in large part to the contributions of three Australians who were at very different points in their careers. With more than an over remaining, Ashton Turner's unbeaten 28-ball 43 and Josh Phillippe's half-century took care of Islamabad United's modest 171 in the first innings. United were limited to that number in part due to 41-year-old Peter Siddle, who took Devon Conway out of the front and gave up 29 goals in four games. It came as no surprise that Multan Sultans chose to field first in the afternoon game, which saw 214 chased for the first time in the PSL at the Gaddafi Stadium. They started by keeping United under control in the first overs, preventing Conway and Sameer Minhas from getting going immediately. Shehzad Gul kept things tight with Siddle, and the pressure paid off when Siddle took care of Conway toward the end of a Powerplay that produced 48, the tournament's lowest Powerplay score so far. After the Powerplay, United briefly recovered, but Sultans continued to relentlessly chip away at the wickets. Momin Qamar, who took 3-24, eliminated Arafat Minhas' brother Sameer Minhas and Shadab Khan in successive overs while Arafat Minhas deceived Andries Gous in the air to send him packing. The only United player who was able to maintain a high run rate was Mark Chapman, who seemed to always enjoy playing in Pakistan. His 21-ball 40 gave his bowlers something to defend. Despite Faheem Ashraf's late cameo, Sultans were clear favorites going into the break thanks to their 171 score. United needed to get off to a strong start, but Sultans targeted Salman Mirza, making it nearly impossible for Shadab's team to gain any momentum in the first six. Steve Smith and Phillippe targeted Mirza, and he tonked for 32 in his first two attempts. With Richard Gleeson and Salman Irshad keeping things relatively tight while Imad Wasim dropped Sahibzada Farhan early, it was a credit to the other bowlers who kept United in the hunt when the field spread. However, Sultans could afford to consolidate and choose when to attack because the target was easy. When Shadab came on to bowl, one of them presented itself, and Turner helped himself to another 13 in his third over after Phillippe smashed him for 11. Phillippe and the Sultans captain put on 61 runs in 34 balls, and Arafat then scored 25 runs in 11 balls to end United's innings. Sultans, who had promised to play total cricket when they entered this tournament, had at least won the tournament's opening match.