Qalandars secure easy-win against Multan Sultans 

Lahore Qalandars beat Multan Sultans by 21 runs in the 20th match of the eighth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) played at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Saturday.

Lahore bowler Rashid Khan ran through the Sultans. He took three wickets against 15 runs in four overs. Other bowlers including Sikandar Raza, Hussain Talat, Zaman Khan, and Haris Rauf share one wicket each.

Multan’s batter Kieron Pollard with Sultan’s captain Rizwan offered some resistance to the Qalandars bowlers. They made 39 and 30 respectively in the total 159 for seven wickets.    

Lahore Qalandars set a 181-run target for Multan Sultans after making 180-9 in their allotted 20 overs. 

Abdullah Shafique and Sam Billings shined as they managed to build a fighting total for Qalandars after losing early wickets of the opening pair of Fakhar Zaman and Mirza Tahir Baig. 

The batting side suffered a big blow in the first over when in-form opener Fakhar Zaman (0) was caught at the third man while trying to clear the fence.

Meanwhile, Ihsanullah dismissed Mirza Tahir Baig in the fifth over of the innings after a 50-run stand between the latter and Abdullah Shafique. The right-hander scored 17 runs in 11 balls.  

After losing Baig, Shafique stitched another healthy partnership with Sam Billings. However, the 69-run stand was broken when Shafique, 48 runs in 35 balls, was caught and bowled by Kieron Pollard. 

Billings, who looked set for a big one, was caught in front of the stumps after misjudging a delivery by Pollard. The English batter scored 54 runs in 35 balls with the help of six fours and two sixes. Sikandar Raza scored 14 runs, meanwhile, David Wiese remained unbeaten on 15 runs. 

Lahore could not get the finish they wanted at the backend of the innings after losing five wickets and scoring only 38 runs in the last five overs.  

For Multan, Pollard, Ihsanullah, Abbas Afridi and Anwar Ali claimed two wickets each. Earlier, Lahore Qalandars won the toss and opted to bat first against Multan Sultans. 

The topper on the table, Qalandars currently have 10 points on the league table after six games and will qualify for the playoffs if they win this match. On the other hand, Sultans winning today’s match will also give Sultans a boost in the race for playoffs as their points tally will increase to 10.