LAHORE: These were desperate times for Multan Sultans and Khurram Shehzad`s twowicket bursts in the second and fourth overs of their innings had them reeling. Having lost five of their six matches so far in this Pakistan Super League season, and two on the bounce, they were gasping for air in stifling conditions; looking for some inspiration.

The Quetta Gladiators, on a two-game winning streak, had their tails up and they would give the Sultans no way out; Faheem Ashraf picking a wicket each in his first two overs. Two days after ripping apart Peshawar Zalmi, they scythed through the Sultans and bundled them out for 89 with only skipper Mohammad Rizwan offering a semblance of resistance.

The Gladiators then cruised to their target off just 41 balls without losing a wicket skipper Saud Shakeel hitting four sixes and three fours in a 20-ball 42 and Finn Allen striking five sixes and two fours in a 21-ball 45 to climb up to second place in the standings.

On a pitch laid using soil from Western Australia and offering bounce, the Sultans who are now only mathematically in the playoffs race never got going after they had been put into bat.

Fast bowler Khurram (4-23) struck with the first ball he delivered; opener Yasir Khan spooning a catch to Mohammad Wasim Jr at mid-on. Three balls later, he was followed by Usman Khan, who tried to hit his way out of pressure but only found Mohammad Amir at mid-on.

The incoming KamranGhulam saw Hassan Nawaz drop a sitter on the last ball of the third over but was gone next ball as Khurram returned to have him caught at slip and then had Curtis Campher lbw four balls later; the Sultans in all sorts of trouble at 20-4 before ending the powerplay with no further losses but the scoreboard reading just 31.

Opener Rizwan was running out of partners and soon lost another when Faheem on the back of a five-wicket haul against Zalmi came into the attack; Iftikhar Ahmed going long only to be caught in the deep in the eighth over before Michael Bracewell edged to the keeper in the 10th asthe Sultansreachedthe midway point of their innings at 47-6.

Such was the Gladiators` dominance that the Sultans couldn`t even capitalise on missed chances.

Abrar Ahmed had dropped David Willey in the 12th over off Mohammad Amir but made amends when he settled under a skier from the Englishman in the next over by Wasim.

Number eight batter Usama Mir finally got the first six of the innings in the 14th over, hitting Faheem over the square leg fence, having cut the bowler away for four the previous delivery as the Sultans looked for a late flourish.

But Usama (11), the only Sultans batter to reach double figures apart from Rizwan, was run out on the first ball of the next over. Another run out followed soon after, seeing Mohammad Hasnain return to the dugout.

Rizwan, who made a painstaking run-a-ball 44 not out with just four fours, pulled away Wasim for the only six of his stay but the fast bowler soon put the Sultans out of their misery when he had last man Ubaid Shah caught behind with the last ball of the 17th over.

Quetta began their chase tentatively, just eight runs coming off the first two overs with just one four by Allen. Butonce they made sure there were no demons on the pitch, the Sultans were thrashed to all parts; Allen depositing Willey for two sixes and a four in the third over and Saudgetting a six and a four off the next by Hasnain.

Any flickering Sultans hopes had been extinguished and as Saud got going, it became a matter of how soon the Gladiatorswould win. Ubaid was hit for two sixes and a four in the fifth over by Saud, who then hit another six and a four off the sixth over by Hasnain.

Allen also hit a six inthe same over as the Gladiators ended the powerplay at 74-0 before the New Zealander ended the game with a couple more big hits off Usama in the seventh over.