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MULTAN, Apr 05 (APP):The fast and furious style of batting in Twenty20 cricket not only enchants fans but also enables batters to achieve astonishing feats. Who could forget the swashbuckling 36-ball century by Usman Khan for Multan Sultans against Quetta Gladiators in the HBL Pakistan Super League 2023.
Just like many other traditions of Multan, aggressive batting has become a trademark of the Multan Sultans franchise.
Incidentally, the top three fastest centuries in PSL history have been scored by batters from this popular franchise. Rilee Rossouw hammered a 43-ball hundred against Quetta at the Sultans’ home ground in Multan in 2020. He then bettered that feat by two deliveries against Peshawar Zalmi in Rawalpindi during the 2023 edition. But Usman Khan needed only 24 hours to eclipse that record, scoring a breathtaking 36-ball century – also against Quetta at the same venue.
To meet the demands of high-impact, modern T20 cricket, Multan Sultans have employed specialised power-hitting coaches. England’s renowned Julian Wood previously trained their batters, while Yahya Khan currently oversees the development of modern power-hitting techniques.
Data revealed that Multan Sultans batters were particularly ruthless against anything back of a length, amassing 1,466 runs off spinners delivering that length. Pacers have also been punished, conceding 1,447 runs off back-of-length balls and 1,941 off short deliveries.
In addition to Rossouw and Usman Khan (discovered by Multan Sultans), other notable players to have represented the franchise with distinction include Australian dasher Tim David, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Kumar Sangakkara, Sohaib Maqsood, Shan Masood, Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed.