Sultans Struggle with Only One Win in Six PSL 10 Matches

LAHORE: Multan Sultans’ captain, Mohammad Rizwan, expressed concern on Friday regarding his team’s bowling performance in the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) 10, citing a lack of consistency as a persistent issue.

The Sultans, currently at the bottom of the league table, managed to post a competitive score of 185/3, boosted by half-centuries from captain Rizwan and Kamran Ghulam.

Initially, their bowling attack showed promise, restricting the Qalandars to 45/2 in the first 6.1 overs. However, a crucial 49-run partnership for the third wicket, followed by a decisive 89-run partnership for the fifth wicket, enabled the Qalandars to secure victory.

During the post-match presentation, Rizwan admitted that while the batting performance was adequate, fielding lapses and the inability to consistently take wickets were significant factors in their defeat.

Rizwan’s Post-Match Comments

“Shaheen Afridi mentioned during the toss that a score of 150–160 would be competitive here, and I agreed that we had a sufficient total. Yet, even when defending a large score like 250, it’s hard to win if catches are dropped,” Rizwan stated.

“We started well with the new ball, with Hasnain and Josh Little bowling impressively, but maintaining that momentum remains a challenge. If we perform strongly with the new ball, we often falter in the later overs,” he added.

The wicketkeeper-batsman also lamented the absence of a specialized bowler for the middle overs, which he identified as a key difference between the Sultans and other teams.

“We are facing difficulties in the middle overs due to the lack of specialist bowlers suited for that phase,” Rizwan explained.

“That’s where we differ from other teams; they can secure wickets in the middle overs, while we struggle to do so,” he further noted.

Mohammad Rizwan conceded that this loss places the Sultans in a precarious situation, where further defeats could make their playoff chances contingent on the outcomes of other teams’ matches.

“We believed we still had a chance, but now it’s going to be very tough. If we lose one or two more games, our fate will depend on other teams, which is not a position I prefer to be in.

“In franchise cricket, there are times when you need to be strict with players, and other times when you need to show support. We address mistakes, but it’s frustrating when the same errors are repeated.”