Multan Sultans’ explosive batter Usman Khan wrote history in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) during the match against Islamabad United at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
Usman, who is participating as a foreign batter, smashed another hundred as he took his side to a commendable 228-run total courtesy of his power hitting in the last 10 overs.
The right-handed batter scored 100 off 50 balls with a whopping 15 fours and three sixes, completing his innings at an astounding 200 strike rate.
While doing so, he became the only player in the PSL history to hit two tons in a single edition having previously scored a century against Karachi Kings at the National Bank Stadium on March 3.
The Karachi-born now has three centuries in just 14 PSL innings overall, which is the joint-most alongside former Peshawar Zalmi star Kamran Akmal who notched up as many centuries in 74 innings.
The 28-year-old also holds the record for the fastest century in the league when he smashed a 36-ball ton against Quetta Gladiators in PSL 8.
Batting first, the Sultans didn’t have the greatest start as they just managed to score 58 runs in the powerplay on the loss of two wickets.
However, as soon as Mohammad Rizwan departed, Usman and Johnson Charles started to attack Islamabad bowlers and built a formidable 86-run partnership in just 50 balls.
Charles departed after scoring a quick 18-ball 42 with six boundaries, leaving his side at 144/3 in 13.2 overs. Soon after his dismissal, Iftikhar Ahmed came to bat but the 33-year-old couldn’t provide much and lost his wicket to Naseem Shah just after contributing 13 runs.
However, despite losing two wickets, Usman continued with his attacking prowess and took Multan to a 228-run total.
Remember, Multan have already qualified for the PSL 9 playoffs while Islamabad need to win this match otherwise their qualification chances would rely on Peshawar Zalmi beating Karachi Kings in their last match.
Faizan Lakhani Faizan Lakhani is Deputy Editor (Sports) at Geo News.- Usman Khan