Multan Sultans captain Ashton Turner had a light-hearted moment after his side were booked to play two straight matches at the Gaddafi Stadium. Following their win over Quetta Gladiators on Sunday, the team were scheduled to return to the same venue on Monday for another PSL outing.
Turner’s joke during the post-match presentation captured the hectic turnaround. He said he might “find somewhere to get a blanket and a pillow and sleep here” given the short gap between games.
Quick facts
- Ashton Turner joked about sleeping at the Gaddafi Stadium due to back-to-back fixtures.
- Multan Sultans beat Quetta Gladiators on Sunday for their third win of the Pakistan Super League season.
- On Monday, Multan play Rawalpindi Kings at the same venue after winning the toss and choosing to bowl first.
- This is the first meeting between Multan Sultans and Rawalpindi Kings in the PSL.
Speaking after the match, the Australian all-rounder said the team handled the playing conditions well despite them being different from earlier games. He noted that the conditions were “slightly different” compared to the previous two matches and said the side did well across all three phases.
Turner also explained a tactical thinking point ahead of the innings. He said he was likely to bowl the opening over, expecting two left-handers at the top, but credited the opposition for adjusting their batting order.
His plan paid off quickly: Multan’s spin unit kept Quetta Gladiators to 166 for 7 in their 20 overs. With the target set, the chase came with room to breathe as Multan reached 167 with four wickets down and 15 balls still left in the innings.
Steve Smith was the driver of the pursuit, striking 53 off 35 deliveries to help steer Multan across the line.
Monday’s match setup
On Monday at the Gaddafi Stadium, Multan Sultans again opted to bowl first after winning the toss against Rawalpindi Kings. The fixture marks the first time the two teams meet in the PSL.
Playing XIs
Multan Sultans: Steven Smith, Sahibzada Farhan, Josh Philippe (wk), Shan Masood, Ashton Turner (c), Arafat Minhas, Mohammad Nawaz, Peter Siddle, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Muhammad Ismail, Faisal Akram.
Rawalpindi Kings: Mohammad Rizwan (c/wk), Yasir Khan, Kamran Ghulam, Daryl Mitchell, Sam Billings, Abdullah Fazal, Dian Forrester, Rishad Hossain, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Amir Khan, Asif Afridi.
