Rilee Rossouw unleashed the beast in him with a lightning knock to power Multan Sultans to an emphatic 56 victory over Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) match on Friday (February 17). Rossouw couldn't perform well in the recently concluded SA20 league, but has made a tremendous comeback in the ongoing PSL. Rossouw, who was acquired by Delhi Capitals for Rs 4.6 crore for the upcoming IPL, cracked 75 off 36 riding on 12 fours and two sixes and also stitched together a 75-run stand in 35 balls with fellow South African David Miller to help Sultans post a huge total of 210, the highest score in this year's PSL. Skipper Mohammad Rizwan too chipped in with an impressive 66 off 42 for Sultans. In reply, Babar Azam's Zalmis got off to a good start. There dominated the first half of the chase, riding on a cracking partnership between Mohammad Haris (40 off 23) and Saim Ayub (53 off 37), but lost wickets in cluster, and ran out of steam in the second half and bundled out for 154. Usama Mir and Ihsanullah snared three wickets each to break Zalmi's back.
Earlier, Zalmi had won the toss and opted to field, but while they kept Shan Masood relatively quiet in the Powerplay, Rizwan ensured they couldn't build much pressure. When Masood, who struggled for fluency in a scratchy 25-ball 20, got squeezed down leg, Rossouw arrived and with him came immediate impetus. He picked up where he'd left off against Quetta Gladiators 48 hours ago, and for ten overs between the ninth and the 18th, each one saw at least two boundaries struck.
The last 12 overs produced 149 runs, and while Rizwan and Miller were more than capable support acts, Rossouw batted like he needed no help whatsoever. No bowler was spared, even if regular misfields didn't help the Zalmi cause. At the death, the worst aspects of Wahab Riaz were also on display, overstepping twice in the 20th over and conceding 19 runs in the process.
Zalmi have a fair few entertaining hitters flanking Babar Azam, who fell early, with Sultans' golden boy Ihsanullah removing him with his first ball. It cleared the way for an exquisitely fun partnership between two of Pakistan's brightest T20 batting prospects. Haris looked every inch the Imran Nazir regeneration, slogging to all parts to keep up with the asking rate. Ayub feels a bit more classical in his shot making, though equally destructive. While Sultans allowed them pace on the ball, the duo flayed them to all parts, and by the end of the eighth over, they were 20 runs ahead of where the Sultans were at that stage.
But it's difficult to replicate Rossouw's sustained power, and the pivotal moment came in the ninth over. The fielding has been ragged at this year's PSL so far, but a lovely stop and direct hit by Abbas Afridi caught Haris out at the non-striker's end. From thereon, the Sultans never relinquished their dominance. Tom Kohler-Cadmore holed out cheaply, Ayub and Rovman Powell kept hopes alive with a flurry of fours and sixes, but then five wickets in 16 balls killed the game off entirely. The extra runs an enfeebled bowling attack allowed now felt insurmountable all of the sudden, and the last seven wickets fell for 24 runs.
Fittingly, it was Ihsanullah who bookended the wickets column, taking the last wicket just as he had the first. He backed up his magical performance on Wednesday with figures of 3 for 24 to take an early lead in the PSL wicket-takers chart, and helped give the Sultans another win - as well as another healthy net run rate boost.
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