Rizwan, Maqsood shine in Sultans win
Peshawar Zalmi defeat Quetta Gladiators by three wickets
Multan Sultans yesterday defeated Lahore Qalandars by seven wickets in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) sixth edition tournament at Karachi’s National Stadium.
Mohammad Rizwan and Sohaib Maqsood put on a fine batting performance to ensure Multan Sultans crossed the 15-run target comfortably with 22 balls spare.
Rizwan, who posted his second half-century and became the leading run-getter of the season, scored a breezy 49-ball 76, studded by 12 fours, while Maqsood hammered seven fours and fours during his 61 not out off 41 balls.
The pair stitched together a match-winning 110-run partnership for the third wicket.
Shaheen Afridi struck in the first over as he bowled Chris Lynn with a scorching yorker in the first over. James Vince (5 off 6) was next to go, with the score reading at 30 for two. But the two wickets did not inflict any harm as captain Rizwan’s subliminal form stretched into this match and he stroked them out of trouble.
The wicketkeeper-batsman, who got recently promoted to Category A in the PCB’s Central Contract List for 2020-21, accumulated 44 off 22 in the power play overs to take Sultans’ score to 58 at the conclusion of the sixth over.
Both Rizwan and Sohaib played shots all around the ground, and were treat to watch for the fans, who showed up in numbers after 50 per cent of fans were allowed for the first time in HBL PSL 6.
Earlier, Qalandars managed to score 157 for six thanks to Mohammad Hafeez’s second consecutive half-century.
In the other match, Peshawar Zalmi defeated Quetta Gladiators by three wickets. Chasing 199 to win, Zalmi chased the target with three balls to spare.