Tayyab Tahir marks PSL debut with match-winning 65 for Karachi Kings

Karachi Kings' see-saw ride in this season's PSL continued, as the pattern of tight finishes and rather one-sided wins alternated for the fourth match in a row. The latest addition in the list was when they thumped Multan Sultans by 66 runs on Sunday, just days after falling short by three runs against the same team.

Kings had made three changes against table-toppers Sultans, as Tayyab Tahir, who came in for Haider Ali, scored an impressive half-century on PSL debut to help Kings to 167. Tabraiz Shamsi, replacing Imran Tahir in the side, then claimed three crucial middle-order wickets to help skittle Sultans out for a mere 101.

Put in to bat James Vince got off to a rapid start for Kings. First over onwards, he took on Akeal Hosein and Anwar Ali - both of whom had come into Sultans' XI - and had raced to 27 off 11 deliveries, before skying a catch to mid-on off Anwar in the fourth over.

But Tayyab ensured that the wicket did not halt their momentum, flicking the first delivery he faced for a boundary through midwicket. He dominated a 109-run partnership with Matthew Wade, scoring quickly and keeping the pressure off the Australian, who struggled his way to 46 from 47 balls.

Tayyab attacked the off side and leg side with equal ease, and hit eight fours as he brought up his half-century off 33 deliveries. With his fifty up in the 14th over, he hit Abbas Afridi for his only six in the next, but slowed down after that as Sultans bowled 31 deliveries without conceding a boundary.

Tayyab was finally trapped lbw by Ihsanullah in the 17th over, by which time the runs had dried up for Kings. Ihsanullah also castled Wade in the penultimate over of the innings, but Imad's finishing kick of 14 from six deliveries helped Kings finish strong.

Sultans' chase started with Shan Masood getting off to a rapid start - he finished with 25 from 16 balls - before an inside edge to wicketkeeper Wade off Akif Javed brought an end to his innings. But Masood's opening partner Mohammad Rizwan, who had scored a dazzling century in the last meeting between the two teams, soldiered on even as Shoaib Malik and Shamsi dismissed Rilee Rossouw and David Miller, respectively.

And soon after in the 11th over, Tayyab's fantastic day continued when he took a superb diving catch at point off Rizwan's leading edge to give Malik his second wicket. Shamsi then struck in each of his next two overs, castling Khushdil Shah and getting Usama Mir to hole out at long-off to finish with figures of 3 for 18 that earned him the Player-of-the-Match award.

Sultans' innings seemed to head towards a hurried conclusion, as Imad then removed Carlos Brathwaite and Hosein in the 15th over, before Akif Raja also claimed his second wicket when Anwar Ali sliced a catch to deep point.

Malik then trapped Afridi lbw to seal victory for Kings, who although they earned two points, sat on the third spot in the points table only due to a better net run rate over both Lahore Qalandars and Peshawar Zalmi, with all three sides on four points each.