Peshawar Zalmi have set a target of 124 runs for Multan Sultans as the city of saints hosts its first-ever Pakistan Super League (PSL) match.
Though Haider Ali looked in impressive form, making 47 runs off 27 balls, he couldn’t find a steady partner in the batting lineup as wickets kept falling at the other end.
With the Zalmis failing to build momentum at any stage in the innings, the 2017 PSL winners were all out for 123, with nine balls to spare.
Tom Banton was an early casualty after a superb catch by Shahid Afridi in the middle of the first over, scoring only four runs from five balls.
Zalmi’s golden boy Kamran Akmal was also sent back to the pavilion in the third over after being caught out by James Vince off Sohail Tanveer.
Shoaib Malik and Liam Livingstone were sent packing at the start of the fifth over by excellent bowling from Mohammad Ilyas.
Tanvir returned to dismiss Haider Ali, caught by Rilee Rossouw in the 11th over, and Hasan Ali, caught by Ilyas in the 17th over.
Earlier, the Sultans had won the toss and invited Zalmi to bat first as the PSL resumed after a two-day break at Multan Stadium.
A win for either team in today’s match will take them atop the fledgling PSL standings, tied on four points with Islamabad United and holders Quetta Gladiators.
Multan opened the fifth PSL season with a victory against the Qalandars but suffered an eight-wicket thrashing from United in their second game.
Zalmi came into the game on the back of a morale-boosting six-wicket triumph over the Gladiators after losing their opener to the Kings. Kamran Akmal has been their standout performer so far, scoring a century against the Gladiators to help his side grab their first points of the season.
Teams:
MULTAN SULTANS: Shan Masood (captain), James Vince, Moeen Ali, Rilee Rossouw, Zeeshan Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Irfan, Imran Tahir, Sohail Tanvir, Ilyas Khan, Bilawal Bhatti, Ravi Bopara, Usman Qadir, Rohail Nazir.
PESHAWAR ZALMI: Darren Sammy (captain), Kamran Akmal, Haider Ali, Shoaib Malik, Tom Banton, Wahab Riaz, Liam Livingstone, Hasan Ali, Amir Khan, Mohammad Mohsin, Rahat Ali, Liam Dawson., Umar Amin, Imam-ul-Haq.
