Smith guides Sultans to comfortable victory as Rawalpindiz stay winless

KARACHI: Steve Smith’s composed half-century guided Multan Sultans to a comfortable six-wicket victory over Rawalpindiz in the HBL Pakistan Super League at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi on Tuesday night.

The win was Sultans’ sixth in eight matches, keeping them firmly on course for the playoffs, while Rawalpindiz rem­ained winless in their debut season after eight defeats.

Smith struck 56 off 31 balls, including five fours and three sixes, anchoring the chase of 167 with authority. He added a brisk 69-run partnership for the second wicket with Josh Philippe (17 off 19), stabilising the innings after an early breakthrough and setting a platform for the finishers.

Philippe’s dismissal in the 11th over triggered a brief wobble as Smith fell soon after for 56, caught behind off Saad Masood, leaving Sultans at 100 for three in the 12th over.

Shan Masood (20 off 22) and captain Ashton Turner then steadied the ship. Turner, in particular, accelerated brilliantly, remaining unbeaten on 37 off 21 balls with three fours and a six.

The pair added crucial runs before a short-lived scare when Asif Afridi and Saad Masood claimed quick wickets in the middle phase — Sahibzada Farhan bowled for 20 and Philippe caught at cow corner.

However, Turner and the incoming Arafat Minhas dealt the finishing blow with composure. Arafat smashed a boundary off Razaullah as Sultans crossed the line in eight balls to spare.

Sultans’ chase began cautiously but gained momentum through Smith’s elegant strokeplay. Opening with Sahibzada (20 off 17), who fell to Asif Afridi, Smith took charge after the powerplay.

He punished loose bowling from young pacer Razaullah Khan, smashing three sixes in one over — including an audacious ramp over the keeper and a powerful pull — to race to his fifty off just 27 balls.

His timing and placement, especially against pace and spin, exemplified class under pressure. Philippe rotated the strike efficiently, though Raw­alpindiz’s spinners, led by Asif (2-28) and Saad (1-27), created some discomfort.

The middle overs saw Rawalpindiz fight back briefly. Asif removed Philippe with a top-edged slog sweep, and Saad induced an edge from Smith that Billings pouched smartly.

Mohammad Rizwan’s side sensed an opening, but Turner’s clean hitting and Shan’s steady presence shifted momentum again.

Turner found boundaries through midwicket and cover, while Arafat provided the explosive finish with a disdainful pull for four. Rawalpindiz’s bowling lacked penetration in the death, with pacers Mohammad Amir and Ben Sears proving expensive.

Earlier, Rawalpindiz posted a fighting 166-4 after being put in to bat. Daryl Mitchell’s gritty half-century (58 off 46, three fours and two sixes) provided stability after a disastrous start.

Openers Shahzaib Khan and Yasir Khan fell inside two overs to Mohammad Imran and Peter Siddle, leaving the side reeling at six for two.

Rizwan (26 off 29) and Mitchell rebuilt with a 63-run stand, though Rizwan struggled for fluency against Sultans’ spinners.

Arafat (1-37) accounted for Rizwan with a sharp stumping. Sam Billings added impetus, but Mohammad Wasim removed him for 29.

The late surge came from Dian Forrester, whose explosive 37 off just 15 balls (three fours and three sixes) injected momentum.

Forrester unleashed powerful pulls and drives against Siddle and Wasim, adding 45 runs with Mitchell in the closing stages. Forty-two runs flowed from the last three overs, but the total never looked imposing on a good batting surface.

Sultans’ bowlers excelled in the powerplay and middle overs. Imran and Siddle struck early, while spinners Momin Qamar and Mohammad Nawaz kept things tight.

POINTS TABLE

(Tabulated under matches, won, lost, no results, points, run-rate)
Peshawar Zalmi 8 7 0 1 15 2.911
Multan Sultans 8 6 2 0 12 0.545
Islamabad United 7 4 2 1 9 1.481
Lahore Qalandars 8 4 4 0 8 -0.503
Quetta Gladiators 9 3 6 0 6 -0.355
Hyderabad Kingsmen 7 3 4 0 6 -0.470
Karachi Kings 7 3 4 0 6 -1.368
Rawalpindiz 8 0 8 0 0 -1.647

SCOREBOARD

RAWALPINDIZ:

Shahzaib Khan c Philippe b Imran0

Mohammad Rizwan st Philippe b Arafat26

Yasir Khan c Smith b Siddle4

Daryl Mitchell not out58

Sam Billings c Imran b Wasim29

Dian Forrester not out37

EXTRAS (B-4, LB-1, W-7)12

TOTAL (for four wickets, 20 overs)166

DID NOT BAT: Saad Masood, Razaullah, Asif Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Ben Sears

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-1 (Shahzaib), 2-6 (Yasir), 3-69 (Rizwan), 4-121 (Billings)

BOWLING: Imran 3-0-9-1 (1w), Siddle 4-0-39-1 (1w), Arafat 4-0-37-1, Nawaz 3-0-26-0, Momin 3-0-23-0 (1w), Wasim 3-0-27-1

MULTAN SULTANS:

Sahibzada Farhan b Asif20

Steven Smith c Billings b Saad56

Josh Philippe c Yasir b Asif17

Shan Masood c Rizwan b Razaullah20

Ashton Turner not out37

Arafat Minhas not out7

EXTRAS (LB-4, NB-1, W-5)10

TOTAL (for four wickets, 18.4 overs)167

DID NOT BAT: Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Imran, Peter Siddle, Mohammad Wasim, Momin Qamar

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-29 (Sahibzada), 2-98 (Philippe), 3-100 (Smith), 4-157 (Shan)

BOWLING: Amir 4-0-33-0 (1w), Asif 4-0-28-2, Sears 3-0-29-0 (1w, 1nb), Razaullah 2.4-0-38-1 (1w), Saad 4-0-27-1, Forrester 1-0-8-0

RESULT: Multan Sultans won by six wickets.

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Steven Smith

Published in Dawn, April 22nd, 2026

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