Usman Khan’s sparkling 96 and Usama Mir’s six-wicket-haul helped Multan Sultans thrash Lahore Qalandars, who ended Lahore-leg of HBL PSL 9 without a single victory here at the crowded Gaddafi Stadium Lahore on Tuesday.
Lahore Qalandars got all-out on 154 in 17 overs. Sahibzada Farhan top-scored with 31 runs while Rassie van der Dussen scored 30 runs.
Usama Mir got six wickets, although conceding 40 runs, which decimated the LQ innings. 20-year-old Faisal Akram bowled an exciting spell where his figures read 4-0-25-2.
MS third-spinner Khushdil Shah bowled an impressive spell as well, his figures read 4-0-31-1.
Earlier, Multan Sultans set a 215-run target for Lahore Qalandars in match 14 of the Pakistan Super League season nine (PSL 9) being played at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, today (Tuesday).
Multan Sultans won the toss and elected to bat first. Usman Khan’s 96 runs in 55 balls helped Multan Sultans to put up a big total for the hapless Lahore Qalandars.
Shaheen Afridi led squad is languishing at bottom of the points table after losing all matches so far, as the squad is struggling with inconsistent performance in the marque T20 league.
Multan Sultans, on the other hand, remain at the top of the points table with finest batting lineup and disciplined bowling attack, and they eye advancing dominance.
Qalandars are having difficult season, despite the availability of talented players like Fakhar Zaman and Sahibzada Farhan. The team apprently lacks strong partnerships, which has affected their ability to set competitive totals.
Having top bowlers by their side inlcuding skipper himself, Qalandars struggled to maintain pressure and have given away runs at crucial moments.
The pitch at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium helped batters to score big, but recent matches saw spinners gaining traction, balancing the contest between bat and ball.
Multan Sultans Playing XI: Mohammad Rizwan (c & wk), Usman Khan, Reeza Hendricks, Tayyab Tahir, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Usama Mir, Aftab Ibrahim, Faisal Akram, Mohammad Ali, Shahnawaz Dahani
Lahore Qalandars Playing XI: Fakhar Zaman, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Rassie Van Der Dussen, Kamran Ghulam, Sikandar Raza, George Linde, Carlos Brathwaite, Jahandad Khan, Shaheen Afridi (c), Salman Fayyaz, Zaman Khan.