Twitter Reactions: Sheldon Cottrell and Kieron Pollard guide Multan Sultans to PSL 2023 final

Sheldon Cottrell. (Photo Source: ARIF ALI/AFP via Getty Images)

Multan Sultans registered a place in the final with a dominant 84-run win over Lahore Qalandars in the Qualifier match of the Pakistan Super League 2023 on Wednesday, March 15. Kieron Pollard smashed 57 off 34 as the Sultans posted 160/5 while batting first. In the second innings, Sheldon Cottrell, playing his only second game in PSL 2023, took three wickets to bowl out the reigning champions on just 76 runs to guide his team to a dominant win.

Mohammad Rizwan won the toss for Sultans and elected to bat first at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. Cottrell replaced Izharulhaq Naveed for Sultans while captain Shaheen Afridi, Mirza Baig, and Sikandar Raza returned to the playing XI for the Qalandars.

Usman Khan, who smashed the fastest century in PSL history in the last game, pulled off a 53-run stand for the opening wicket with Rizwan. Usman scored 29 off 26 before getting bowled out on Haris Rauf’s delivery in the eighth over. Rashid Khan bowled out Rizwan at an individual score of 33 runs in the 13th over as the batters then struggled for the big shots in the middle overs.

But Pollard’s quick fifty and a 27* off 15 from in-form Tim David helped Sultans post a fighting total. Rauf took three wickets while Zaman Khan and Rashid bagged one each for Qalandars.

Cottrell made a big impact on his return as he dismissed Mirza Baig and Abdullah Shafique in the innings’ third over to give Sultans a positive start. Qalandars’ batters struggled to form meaningful partnerships right from the start and never found any rhythm in their chase.

Sam Billings top-scored with 19 off 27 and Haris Rauf tried to push the bar a bit farther by adding 15 runs. But the Qalandars’ innings collapsed on just 76 runs in 14.3 overs as they suffered an embarrassing defeat. Cottrell proved to be the most effective bowler with three wickets for 20 runs while Usama Mir scalped two wickets for 12 to guide Multan Sultans to the summit clash.

Here is how Twitter is reacting to Multan Sultans’ huge win over Lahore Qalandars: