Imran Tahir, Sangakkara lead Multan’s rout of Quetta

Monitoring Desk

SHARJAH: Leg-spinner Imran Tahir achieved the second hat-trick of Pakistan Super League (PSL) season three, while Kumar Sangakkara registered his third half century to help Multan Sultans knock Quetta Gladiators by nine wicket at Sharjah on Saturday.

The now retired left-handed Sri Lankan superstar scored 44-ball 51 with five boundaries and a six to anchor Sultans’s chase of a modest 103-run target in 16.4 overs after Tahir (3-19), Sohail Tanvir (3-14) and Junaid Khan (2-9) bowled Quetta out for 102 in 15.4 overs.

Sangakkara, who knocked 57 in the opening match against Peshawar and 63 against Lahore, batted sensibly as he and Ahmed Shehzad (27 off 35 balls) put on 66 steady runs for the opening wicket. Even when Shehzad got out, Sangakkara held his end intact and wrapped up the target by adding 42 for the unfinished second wicket stand with Sohaib Maqsood who made 26 not out.

That gave Multan their third win in five games with one no result and one defeat while twice runners-up Quetta are left to ponder their fate, losing three of their five games.

Tahir dismissed Hasan Khan (nought) and John Hastings (nought) before trapping Rahat Ali on the next ball to achieve second hat-trick in this year’s PSL. Team-mate Junaid Khan achieved hat-trick against Lahore Qalandars in Dubai.

Karachi Kings’s Mohammad Amir was the first to pick up a hat-trick in PSL history when he achieved the feat in the first edition in Dubai against Lahore.

But much before Tahir’s hat-trick Quetta were already derailed by their own mistakes as they suffered a Lahore Qalanader-like collapse, losing six wickets for ten runs off 19 balls after looking set for 140-plus total at 92-4.

Umar Amin (eight) and Ramiz Raja Junior (one) fell within one run and Shane Watson hoicked Junaid Khan to boundary after looking set on 19. Rilee Rossouw also hit a six and then attempting a big hit was stumped off Shoaib Malik.

Sarfraz fought a line battle but even his patience ran out when he fell to Sohail Tanvir who finished with 3-14 in his three overs. Mohammad Nawaz fell in the same over as Tanvir too was on a hat trick.