Lahore Qalandars beat Multan Sultans by 1 run in PSL thriller

Lahore Qalandars Monday started their title defence in style by defeating Multan Sultans by one run in a thriller at Multan Cricket Stadium.

The first match of the eighth edition of the Pakistan Super League season was a repeat of the last edition’s final with the same result as Qalandars handed the home side first-ever defeat at its home ground.

With this emphatic victory, Qalandars justified their tag of being the best bowling side of the event which poses a big threat to all the teams.

Multan Sultans were well on the road to achieving the 176 runs target but Qalandars bowlers squeezed their batting in the middle overs which resulted in a high run rate in the last overs on a pitch that was ably assisting the bowlers.

Qalandars got the first wicket in the 13th over when Hussain Talat removed Shan Masood who scored 35 runs off 31 balls hitting four boundaries. The openers Muhammad Rizwan and Masood gave their team a 100-run stand, however, their slow batting added pressure on the team.

Rizwan made another elegant 75 runs off 50 balls hitting eight boundaries and a six before Qalandars captain Shaheen Shah Afridi clean-bowled him in the 16th over.

South African David Miller also failed to bring fireworks to the innings and was bowled by Haris Rauf on the first ball of the 19th over after scoring 25 runs off 20 balls.

Kieron Pollard then took the charge and hit Haris Rauf with a six and a four to leave 15 runs for the last over.

However, Pollard got himself run out while trying to take a double on the second ball of the last over bowled by Zaman Khan. He scored 19 runs off 12 balls.

On the very next delivery, new batsman Usman Khan has adjudged LBW on a full toss. Sultans took a review but to no avail. Usama Mir also got himself run out while taking a double to give Khushdil Khan an outside chance to hit the winning boundaries.

Khushdil hit a boundary on the penultimate ball leaving a six to win the match on the last ball. However, he ended up hitting another boundary on the last ball.

Earlier, Fakhar Zaman hit a quick-fire half-century as Lahore Qalandars made 175-6 in the allotted 20 overs.

Multan Sultans captain Muhammad Rizwan won the toss and opted to bowl first. Stylish left-hand opener Fakhar Zaman opened the proceedings along with PSL-debutant Mirza Tahir Baig, another product of Qalandars Player Development Programme.

Fakhar and Tahir were off to a steady but cautious start on a tricky pitch which was giving good assistance to bowlers. Both the openers gave a 61 runs stand for the first wicket before Tahir became the first causality when he slashed a delivery off Akeal Hossein to backward square and Usama Mir took a brilliant running catch. He made 32 runs off 25 balls including five boundaries. He also hit Sameen Gul for three consecutive boundaries as well.

Fakhar started to flex his muscles as well and reached his 50 off 32 balls hitting three boundaries and as many sixes. He added 58 runs with Shai Hope for the second wicket. Hope became a victim of Usama Mir when he was caught by Kieron Pollard. He made 19 runs off 17 balls including one six and a boundary.

Next man in, Kamran Ghulam (3) was clean bowled by pacer Ihsanullah and in the very next over Usama took the prized scalp of Fakhar who was caught by Akeal at deep backward square. Fakhar scored 66 off 42 balls hitting five sixers and three boundaries.

Hussain Talat made 20 off 12 runs before becoming the second victim of Ihsan. Sikander Raza remained unbeaten on 19 off 14 balls. He hit a six and a four in his innings. David Wiese scored five runs including a boundary before being adjudged LBW on the last ball of Qalandars innings off Shahnawaz Dahani.