ABU DHABI: Left-arm pacer Usman Shinwari and spinner Umer Khan shared seven wickets between them as Karachi Kings thrashed Multan Sultans by five wickets in their Pakistan Super League (PSL) match at the Zayed Stadium here on Monday night. Shinwari grabbed 4-15 and Umer clinched 3-22 as Multan never scored freely and ended their innings on 118-7 in their allotted 20 overs. In reply, Karachi overhauled the meagre total after some difficulty in 19.2 overs to raise their hopes of qualifying for the play-offs. Multan never got going as only Hammad Azam (30-ball 29 with two boundaries and Shoaib Malik (run-a-ball 26) offered any hopes. Multan with just four points in nine games are now out of the race for the play-offs following their defeat. During their chase, Karachi had lost two early wickets of Colin Munro for 11 and Babar Azam for 12 — both wickets going to young fast bowler Mohammad Ilyas. But Colin Ingram (31) and Liam Livingstone took the score to 82. Ilyas finished with 3-27 off his four overs. Test specialist Mohammad Abbas (4-1-14-2) then gave Karachi a scare with wickets of Ingram and Iftikhar Ahmed in the same over to leave Karachi at 82-4. It became tight when 24 were needed in the last three overs and seven in the last before Livingstone took the matter in his hands and finished the match with a six off leg-spinner Mohammad Irfan Khan. Brief scores: Karachi Kings beat Multan Sultans by five wickets. Multan Sultans 118-7 (Hammad Azam 29, Shoaib Malik 26; Usman Shinwari 4-15, Umer Khan 3-22) VS Karachi Kings 120-5 in 19.2 overs (L Livingstone 53 not out; Mohammad Ilyas 3-27). Published in Daily Times, March 6th 2019.