Multan Sultans will play third consecutive HBL Pakistan Super League Final on 19 March after they whipped Lahore Qalandars by 84 runs at the Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday night. Kieron Pollard’s rush pushed Multan Sultans to 160 for five preceding a sizzling opening spell from Sheldron Cottrell wrecked the run chase. Lahore Qalandars’ unfortunate show came about in a miserable 76 all out – the most minimal ever HBL PSL total scored on Pakistani soil – in just 14.3 overs.
Pollard crushed six sixes in his 34-ball 57 and three of them fell off the latest over, bowled by Lahore Qalandars captain Shaheen Afridi. The left-arm pacer yielded 20 in that over and it went down his most costly in the HBL PSL history.
Pollard took on the assault toward the beginning of the 17th over when he smoked Shaheen for a six and crushed Haris Rauf for a six and a four, his only in the innings, in the next.
Tim David crushed Zaman Khan for a six and a four in the 16th over to launch the surge after Lahore Qalandars had figured out how to keep Multan Sultans hitters calm all through the innings.
Multan Sultans could muster 46 runs in the Powerplay and the presentation of Rashid Khan in the middle-overs further fixed the hold as they could score 51 in the next nine at the loss of three wickets. However, over the last five overs, they added 63 to the total.
The first wicket fell in the eighth over as Usman Khan (29 off 28) cleaved on a slow ball from Haris, who was bowling his first of the innings. Rilee Rossouw’s forgettable outing reached a conclusion toward the beginning of the 11th over when he was gotten of Zaman and two overs later Mohammad Rizwan’s stumps were rattled by a Rashid googly.
Just three Lahore Qalandars players could post double-digit scores and none of them was from the top-order. Cottrell eliminated Mirza Tahir Baig and Abdullah Shafique in a span of three balls in the third over and Anwar Ali bowled a delightful delivery that pinched back off the length to bowl Fakhar Zaman. Shaheen’s wild heave finished in Usman’s grasp at point as Cottrell picked his third wicket in the fifth over and Lahore Qalandars drooped to 28 for four.
The 10th over started with Hussain Talat’s lazy walk around the striker’s end finishing off with run out and finished with Sikandar Raza getting caught out at deep square-leg. At the midway of the innings, Lahore Qalandars were six down for 44.
Sam Billings, the top run-getter with 19, was out in the following over off Ihsanullah and Usama Mir’s presentation resulted in the wickets of Rashid Khan (0) and David Wiese (12 off 12). Haris was the last wicket to fall when he was gotten and bowled off Abbas Afridi.
Lahore Qalandars have another go at a compartment in the finals when they meet the winners of the primary Eliminator between Islamabad United and Peshawar Zalmi on Friday.
Scores in short:
Multan Sultans 160-5, 20 overs (Kieron Pollard 57, Mohammad Rizwan 33, Usman Khan 29, Tim David 22 not out; Haris Rauf 3-34)
Lahore Qalandars 76 full scale, 14.3 overs (Sheldon Cottrell 3-20, Usama Mir 2-12)
Player of the match – Kieron Pollard (Multan Sultans)
The upcoming Fixtures at Gaddafi Stadium, begin time 19:00
Eliminator 1 – Islamabad United v Peshawar Zalmi
