Andries Gous stars as Islamabad United cruise past Sultans in PSL 10 encunter

Islamabad United extended their winning streak in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) Season 10 with a commanding seven-wicket victory over Multan Sultans in the 13th match of the tournament at Multan Stadium on Wednesday.

Chasing a target of 169, the defending champions reached the home in style on the first ball of the 18th over, finishing at 173 for 3 with 17 deliveries to spare.

The star of the night was Andries Gous, who remained unbeaten with a brilliant 80 runs off just 45 deliveries. 

His innings was laced with five sixes and six fours along with smart strike rotation and anchoring the chase with calm authority.

Supporting him at the other end were key contributions from Colin Munro, who scored a valuable 45 runs, and Sahibzada Farhan, who added 22. 

All-rounder Mohammad Nawaz also chipped in with a useful 21 runs, helping accelerate the chase in the middle overs.

Andries Gous finished things off with a six off Ubaid Shah to make it five in five for Islamabad United in the PSL 10.

Earlier, Usman Khan's explosive knock helped Multan Sultans to post 168 runs for the loss of five wickets against Islamabad United 

After opting to bat first, Yasir Khan opened the innings alongside captain Mohammad Rizwan.

The two gave a solid 51-run start in 6.3 overs to the Sultans when Khan fell to Mohammad Nawaz after scoring 29 off 17 balls.

Usman Khan then joined Rizwan, and the two stitched a 65-run partnership to put their side in a strong position in the game.

The Multan Sultans skipper fell to Shadab Khan after scoring a sluggish 37-ball 36, with the scoreboard showing 116/2 in 13.3 overs.

Michael Bracewell made nine and Iftikhar Ahmed added 10 runs to the total as Islamabad United’s bowling lineup tightened the noose around the Sultans’ batting lineup.

Usman Khan was dismissed after scoring 61 off 40 balls, with the help of four fours and four sixes.

Kamran Ghulam and Chris Jordan remained unbeaten on 13 and six, respectively, as Multan Sultans finished at 168 for five in their 20 overs.

Islamabad have been on a roll, remaining unbeaten, while Multan, in stark contrast, have managed just one victory - in their last game against Lahore, but they'll be hoping to build on that winning momentum. 

After winning the toss, Mohammad Rizwan, Multan Sultans skipper, said they are looking to set up a good target and given our spin-bowling a better chance for defending. 

Islamabad United captain Shadab Khan said that they just try to keep things as simple as possible because when you allow too much complication that brings pressure on the team. 

 Playing XIs

Multan Sultans: Mohammad Rizwan (c & wk), Yasir Khan, Usman Khan, Kamran Ghulam, Tayyab Tahir, Michael Bracewell, Iftikhar Ahmed, Chris Jordan, Usama Mir, Josh Little, Ubaid Shah

Islamabad United: Andries Gous (wk), Sahibzada Farhan, Colin Munro, Shadab Khan (c), Muhammad Nawaz, Haider Ali, Jason Holder, Imad Wasim, Saad Masood, Riley Meredith, Salman Irshad