MULTAN: The Lahore Qalandars snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against the Multan Sultans on Monday at the Multan Cricket Stadium in a match that went down the wire and proved to be a befitting start to the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 8 tournament.
Needing 176 runs to win, the Sultans were off to a flying start as skipper Muhammad Rizwan and Shan Masood put up a 100-run opening partnership.
Multan skipper Rizwan once again played a captain’s knock, scoring 75 from 50 balls before he was clean-bowled by Qalandars skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi. Rizwan hit eight boundaries and a six in his innings while Masood made 35 from 31 balls before he was dismissed by Hussain Talat.
South Africa’s David Miller scored a quick 25 from 20 balls before Haris Rauf made short work of his stumps before Keiron Pollard made a quickfire 20 runs off 12 balls.
The Qalandars improved their line and length, turning the tables against the Sultans in the last five overs of the match. As the Sultans’ innings neared its end, the home side seemed to panic. In what came down to a battle of nerves, the Sultans panicked and lost a couple of wickets in the last over when they needed 15 runs to win the match.
This included an attempt to score a second run that cost Keiron Pollard dearly. He was run out courtesy of a strong throw by Talat.
An on-song Zaman Khan trapped Usman Khan leg before wicket right on the next ball, putting the Sultans in further trouble. In the end, the Sultans were defeated by one run when Khushdil Shah was unable to smash the last ball for a boundary.
For the Qalandars, Afridi, Rauf, Khan, and Talat picked up one wicket each while two run-outs during the innings also cost the Sultans dearly.
Earlier, Qalandars opening batter Fakhar Zaman smashed a 42-ball 66, hitting five sixes and three fours. He received support from fellow opener Mirza Tahir Baig, who scored 32 runs off 26 balls.
None of the Qalandars’ batters fared impressively after the two, with Shai Hope, Kamran Ghulam and Sikandar Raza scoring 19, 3 and 19 respectively.
However, Talat Hussain scored a quickfire 20 off 12 balls, hitting a six and a four.
From the Sultans, Ihsanullah finished up with figures of 2/37 from four overs while Usama Mir also took two, finishing with 2/25.
