Multan Sultans locked horns with Peshawar Zalmi in match no. 27 of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2023 at the Pindi Club Ground in Rawalpindi on Friday (March 10) and emerged victorious by four wickets in a high-scoring affair.
After winning the toss, Peshawar decided to bat first and put up a formidable total of 242/6 in their 20 overs. Babar Azam was the standout performer for Peshawar, scoring a brilliant 73 off just 39 balls, while Saim Ayub chipped in with a fiery 58 off 33 deliveries. Meanwhile, Abbas Afridi was the pick of the bowlers for Multan, taking four wickets for 39 runs in his quota of four overs. Anwar Ali and Usama Mir also scalped a wicket each for their team.
In reply, Multan got off to a shaky start as they lost both their openers with just 28 runs on the board. However, Rilee Rossouw played a match-winning knock of 121 runs off just 51 balls and guided Multan to a four-wicket victory. Rossouw smashed 12 fours and 8 sixes in his innings and was well supported by Kieron Pollard, who contributed with a quickfire 52 off 25 deliveries. In the process, Rossouw broke his own record of the fastest hundred in the history of PSL as he reached the three-figure mark in just 41 balls. Notably, previously the left-handed batter had achieved the feat of 43 balls.
Name: Riley Rossouw
Game: Hitting the fastest 100s in the HBL PSLRECORD-HOLDER ROSSOUW#SabSitarayHumaray l #HBLPSL8 l #PZvMS @Rileerr pic.twitter.com/JJtHoomWt3
— PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) March 10, 2023
With the heroics of Rossouw, Multan successfully completed the record run chase of 243 in 19.1 overs and sealed their spot in the playoffs as well. On the other hand, Azmatullah Omarzai picked up two wickets for Peshawar but unfortunately ended up on the losing side. For his exceptional batting performance, Rossouw was adjudged ‘Player of the Match’.
This was the second time that Babar-led Peshawar failed to defend 230+ total in the ongoing league. Despite scoring 240 in their last encounter against Quetta Gladiators, Peshawar lost the contest by eight wickets.