Steve Smith bowled his first over in T20 cricket in over seven years during Multan Sultans’ defeat to Hyderabad Kingsmen in the PSL Eliminator today (April 29).
Batting first, Multan made 28 in their first three overs, when Smith departed for a 10-ball 13. It was the first wicket to fall in what turned out to be a defining collapse - Multan lost five wickets for just 52 in 7.1 overs, before Mohammad Nawaz and Shan Masood got together for a 53-run stand.
Nawaz’s dismissal, for 18, proved disastrous once again, as Multan fell to 114-8 soon after. Masood, however, hung around for a 46-ball 69 as they ended on a respectable 159-9.
Hyderabad Kingsmen did not get off to the desired start, losing skipper Marnus Labuschagne early, but opener Maaz Sadaqat, one of the finds of the season, and wicketkeeper Usman Khan steadied the innings, taking the team over the 100-run mark without the loss of another wicket.
Eliminator 1, Multan Sultans vs Hyderabad Kingsmen
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Multan get on Steve Smith to bowl the 11th over
Multan, who had used six bowlers in the first 10 overs, found little success and desperately turned to Steve Smith for a turnaround. The Australian, who usually bowls leg-spin, turned up with off-spin this time, conceding two successive sixes. He had his moment of celebration, though, when he dismissed Usman as the move seemingly paid off.
Smith went for 14 runs in the over and did not bowl again. It was his 54th T20 wicket in 282 games, and his first since August 2018. Smith, who was introduced to the world as a promising leg-spin all-rounder during the 2008 Under-19 World Cup, had bowled just once since the start of 2019 - against Rangpur in the Bangladesh Premier League, where he conceded four runs in his only over.
Kingsmen went on to chase the target in the 16th over to set up a place in the second Eliminator against Islamabad United on Friday (May 1).
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