Multan Sultans 175 for 5 (Philippe 55, Turner 43*, Irshad 2-28) beat Islamabad United 171 for 8 (Chapman 40, Sameer Minhas 28, Momin Qamar 3-24) by 5 wickets
Three Australians at very different stages of their careers played vital parts in helping Multan Sultans cruise to a five-wicket win over Islamabad United. Josh Phillippe's half-century and Ashton Turner's unbeaten 28-ball 43 made relatively light work of the modest 171 Islamabad United put up in the first innings, getting home with more than an over to spare. United were restricted to that total thanks in part to 41-year old Peter Siddle, who conceded 29 in his four and removed the dangerous Devon Conway up front.
The afternoon game had seen 214 chased for the first time at the Gaddafi Stadium in the PSL, and it was little surprise that Multan Sultans decided to field first. They began by keeping United on a leash in the early overs, with neither Conway nor Sameer Minhas able to fly out of the blocks early. Alongside Siddle, Shehzad Gul kept things tight, and the pressure paid off with Siddle seeing to Conway towards the end of a Powerplay that produced 48 - the lowest first innings Powerplay score at this tournament so far.
United picked things up briefly post-Powerplay, but Sultans were relentless in chipping away at the wickets. Arafat Minhas deceived Andries Gous in the air to send him packing, while Momin Qamar, who took 3-24, got rid of Sameer Minhas, Arafat's brother, and Shadab Khan in successive overs. Mark Chapman - who always seems to enjoy playing in Pakistan - was the only United player able to keep the run rate up, with his 21-ball 40 ensuring his bowlers would have something to defend. Faheem Ashraf was good for a late cameo, but even so, the 171 they posted meant Sultans were firm favourites at the break.
It was imperative that United get off to a good start, but Sultans targeted Salman Mirza, which made it all but impossible for Shadab's side to build any momentum in the first six. Mirza was targeted with Steve Smith and Phillippe, and tonked for 32 in his first two. It was a credit to the other bowlers who kept United in the hunt when the field spread out, with Imad Wasim dispensing with Sahibzada Farhan early, while Richard Gleeson and Salman Irshad kept things relatively tight.
However, with the target less than challenging, Sultans could afford to consolidate, and pick their moments to attack. One of them presented itself when Shadab came on to bowl, with Phillippe smashing him for 11, while Turner helped himself to another 13 in his third over. That 61-run stand between Phillippe and the Sultans captain came off 34 balls, and Arafat later put on a sparkling 11-ball cameo of 25 to kill United off. Sultans, who had come into this tournament pledging to play Total Cricket [https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/multan-sultans-new-owner-gohar-shah-wants-team-to-play-total-cricket-1529418], had at least achieved total dominance in their tournament opener.
