Defending champion Multan Sultans started season seven of Pakistan’s premier domestic Twenty20 with a thrashing seven-wicket win against Karachi Kings, despite its several players and support staff members in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19.
Mohammad Rizwan’s unbeaten 52-run cameo helped Multan easily chase the 126-run target in the second last over with 10 balls to spare. Earlier, South Africa leg-spinner Imran Tahir led the bowling attack, with commendable 3-16, restricting Karachi to 124-5.
Karachi Kings missed allrounder Imad Wasim, who is in isolation after being tested positive for coronavirus. Babar Azam is leading the Kings in Wasim’s absence.To make things worse for Karachi, its leading fast bowler Mohammad Amir also missed the game due to a side strain.
Sharjeel and Babar struggled to provide Karachi Kings a good start scoring 43 and 23 respectively. But after they both were dismissed in successive overs, none of the Karachi Kings batsmen could face Tahir’s bowling.
Karachi Kings’ foreign batsmen in the middle-order also failed to impress, with England’s Joe Clarke scoring nearly a run-a-ball 26. Karachi’s bowlers also failed to contain Multan batters while defending a meager total. Nabi was the pick of the Karachi bowlers and finished with 2-17.
Several PSL players tested positive for COVID-19
Several other players including Wahab Riaz and Kamran Akmal of Peshawar Zalmi Kings have also tested positive for COVID-19 and are under isolation. Flamboyant allrounder Shahid Afridi, who is playing for Quetta Gladiators, was the latest among PSL players to be tested positive.“I have unfortunately tested positive but have no symptoms at all,” Afridi tweeted.
Afridi, who was due to miss the opening two games, was tested positive on Thursday and will remain in isolation for at least one week, missing Quetta Gladiators’ first four matches.