MULTAN: Defending champions Lahore Qalandars defeated Multan Sultans by one-run in a thrilling opening match of the Pakistan Super League 8 at Multan Stadium here on Monday night. Chasing victory target of 176, Multan were not able to reach home despite some brilliant batting by Shan Masood and skipper Mohammad Rizwan. Shan made 35 off 31 balls while Rizwan scored 75 off 50 balls with 08 boundaries and one huge six. Multan finished at 174 for the loss of six wickets. David Miller (25) and Kieron Pollard (20) were the other contributors. Multan lost their three batsmen Usman Khan, Usama Mir and Akeal Hosain at individual score of zero. Shaheen Afiridi, Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan and Hussain Talat claimed one wicket a piece.
Lahore Qalandars set 176-run target: Earlier, Lahore set a 176-run target to Multan after put to bat first. The defending champions managed to put up a formidable target, thanks to Fakhar Zaman’s 66 runs off 42 balls. The left-handed batter completed his 2,000 runs in the PSL. Young opening batter Mirza Tahir Baig scored 36 runs off 26 balls before getting out to Akeal Hossain. The two batters built a strong foundation for Lahore as they managed to stitch a 61-run partnership for the first wicket. Wicket-keeper Shai Hope also gathered 19 runs in 17 balls. In order to reach the competitive total, all-rounder Sikandar Raza (19) and Hussain Talat (20) put on a 39-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Usama Mir and Ihsanullah claimed two wickets each, while Akeal Hosain secured a single scalp.
Brief scores:
Lahore Qalandars 175-6: Fakhar Zaman 66, Mirza Baig 32, Ihsanullah 2-37, Usmam Mir 2-25 vs Multan Sultans 174-6: Shan Masood 35, Mohammad Rizwan 75, Shaheen Shah Afridi 1-27, Hussain Talat 1-16.