LAHORE: Sahibzada Farhan strengthened his reputation as a world-class T20 specialist with a match-winning century for Multan Sultans, who successfully chased down a 226-run target to defeat debutants Hyderabad Kingsmen by six wickets in the eighth match of the Pakistan Super League on Wednesday.

Sahibzada Farhan returned unbeaten on a swashbuckling 106 off 57 balls, punctuated with seven fours and eight sixes. He had made a relatively slow start compared to opening partner Steve Smith before reaching his half-century off 25 balls with five fours and three sixes.

When he reached his ninth T20 century off 55 balls — with seven fours and six sixes — Sahibzada Farhan also became the 10th Pakistan batter to complete 5,000 runs in T20 cricket.

Sahibzada Farhan’s breathtaking innings aside, the Sultans-Kingsmen match provided the entertainment fans and event hosts had been craving following a week of controversies and ordinary cricket.

A total of 452 runs were scored in 38.4 overs, including 32 fours and 30 sixes — a testament to a perfect batting surface and quick outfield.

From a team perspective, this was Multan’s second successive victory and Hyderabad’s third straight defeat. Multan now sit atop the table, while Hyderabad languish at the bottom.

Multan calculated and paced their run-chase brilliantly.

Sahibzada Farhan and Steve Smith scored 83 runs in the PowerPlay — the fourth highest in PSL history — as they put on 104 off 49 balls for the first wicket. Shan Masood then effectively used a lifeline, after wicketkeeper Usman Khan missed an easy stumping, to dominate a 45-run third-wicket partnership off 25 balls with Sahibzada Farhan. Arafat Minhas then delivered the killer blow, adding 37 off 18 balls for the unfinished fifth wicket with Sahibzada Farhan.

Steve Smith made an attractive 46 off 20 balls with two fours and four sixes, Shan’s 16-ball 29 included two fours and two sixes, while Arafat Minhas contributed a priceless 26 not out off 11 balls with four fours and a six.

Earlier, Hyderabad Kingsmen scored 52 runs in the last three overs, jumping from 173 for five in 17 overs to finish at 225 for five. Sharjeel Khan, batting at number five, punished Shehzad Gul for 30 runs in the 18th over before he and Irfan Khan Niazi collected 11 runs each in the 19th and 20th overs to help the debutants post the highest total of this year’s event.

Sharjeel finished with an impressive 51 not out off 26 balls with three fours and four sixes, while Irfan scored 22 not out off 13 balls with two fours and a six. The pair put on 54 for the unfinished sixth wicket off 24 balls to end the innings on a high.

In the top order, openers Saim Ayub and Maaz Sadaqat put on 59 off 31 balls, while Sharjeel and Saad Ali added 44 for the fifth wicket off 30 balls.

Maaz top-scored with a breezy 62 off 44 balls with five fours and five sixes, while Saim contributed 27 off 20 balls with three fours and a six. Other notable run-scorers were Usman Khan (25, 12b, 3×6) and Saad Ali (23, 19b, 1×4, 1×6).

For Multan Sultans, Mohammad Wasim picked up two wickets for 37 runs, while Ashton Turner, Peter Siddle and Mohammad Nawaz claimed one wicket each.

Scores in brief:

Match 8 – Multan Sultans beat Hyderabad Kingsmen by six wickets

HYDERABAD KINGSMEN 225-5, 20 overs (Maaz Sadaqat 62, Sharjeel Khan 51 not out, Saim Ayub 27, Usman Khan 25, Syed Saad Ali 23, Irfan Khan 22 not out; Mohammad Wasim 2-37)

MULTAN SULTANS 227-4, 18.4 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 106 not out, Steve Smith 46, Shan Masood 29, Arafat Minhas 26 not out)

PLAYER OF THE MATCH: Sahibzada Farhan (Multan Sultans)

THURSDAY’S FIXTURES: Quetta Gladiators v Islamabad United; Rawalpindiz v Karachi Kings