Australian imports, Qamar power Sultans to comfortable victory over United
Momin Qamar (Source: X/@mominqamar2)
Published - 28 Mar 2026, 10:42 PM• Read time - 5 mins
Match Overview
Islamabad United (IU) and Multan Sultans (MS) locked horns in the fourth match of PSL 2026 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Saturday, March 28. MS captain Ashton Turner won the toss and elected to bowl first.
The United openers - Devon Conway and Sameer Minhas - provided a good start, almost taking the team to the fifty-run mark but the Kiwi was dismissed in the sixth over by Peter Siddle. A small stand transpired between Minhas and new man Andries Gous before the duo fell in quick succession. The United found themselves at 77/3 at the halfway mark as Mark Chapman blitzed away soon after.
The Kiwi middle order batter scored a quickfire 40(21), providing a major impetus to the innings. Subsequently, Faheem Ashraf (26 off 17), with little contributions from the lower order, helped the United reach a competitive-looking 171/8. Notably, Momin Qamar starred with the ball for the Sultans with a fantastic spell of 3/24.
The Sultans suffered an early blow in the form of Sahibzada Farhan who was out for a couple of runs only. Steven Smith combined with wicketkeeper-batter Josh Phillippe and the pair put on 45 runs off 31 balls for the second wicket before the former was dismissed for 31(23). Phillippe continued on his merry ways and along with his captain, formed a match-winning 61-run partnership in quick time.
Phillippe reached his maiden PSL fifty in his very first match, but could not score much further as Shadab Khan trapped the Australian for 55(35). Turner took command of the run chase and with a valuable 25(11) from Arafat Minhas, helped his team overcome the Islamabad challenge by five wickets and eight balls remaining.
Top run-scorer of the match
|
Player |
Team |
Runs |
Balls |
Fours |
Sixes |
Strike Rate |
| Josh Phillippe |
MS |
55 |
35 |
5 |
2 |
157.14 |
Top wicket-taker of the match
|
Player |
Team |
Overs |
Maidens |
Runs |
Wickets |
Economy |
| Momin Qamar |
MS |
3 |
0 |
24 |
3 |
8.00 |
Player of the Match
Momin Qamar
The 19-year-old Chinaman impressed one and all with his skill levels in his first-ever PSL match. Qamar took crucial wickets of Sameer Minhas, Shadab Khan, and Haider Ali to keep pegging back the United batters. The youngster's bowling made a huge difference between what the Sultans chased and what they could have had to.
Turning Point
The wicket of Chapman in the first innings really dented the run rate and the United's chances of posting a sub 190 total. Mohammad Nawaz delivered the crucial breakthrough and with the way Chapman was going it looked like he would get a huge score in no time.
What the captains said
Winning Team Captain, Ashton Turner (MS)
"Before the match, I asked the side to play with confidence, but it can be difficult. We're a newly established side; we have some history, but there are a lot of new faces, so there's not a lot of evidence to allow us to play with that confidence yet. Now we've got a win under our belt. T20 is a game of momentum, and hopefully we can grab that and run with it. (Team Work) We actually had quite a few quality contributions across the order. Momin is exciting; he's a young player with so much potential. There were a few tough selection calls as well because we've got many quality cricketers who didn't get opportunities tonight. It's pleasing that the guys who did get the nod were able to contribute and get us over the line."
Losing Team Captain, Shadab Khan (IU)
"I think we were 15 to 20 runs short of the par score, but it is the first game. We didn't get the momentum, and when we needed it, we lost wickets back-to-back. The learning point for us is not to give away consecutive wickets. (No big partnerships) Definitely. Our top four got set, but they didn't go long. That is the part we missed, but it is the first game and hopefully we'll learn from this. (Philippe and Turner's partnership) Definitely. Experience matters in how they play. The condition was not that easy, but the way they played, especially the running between the wickets, was a standout. They did so well because on a good ball they were taking singles and doubles, and on a bad ball they were punishing us as well."
