Cricket
Match 22: Peshawar Zalmi beat Islamabad United by six wickets
Lahore (SBR): Skipper Babar Azam and HBL PSL debutant Maaz Sadaqat scored half-centuries as Peshawar Zalmi reaped a crucial six-wicket win over table toppers Islamabad United in the 22nd match here at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on Friday evening.Peshawar Zalmi, who kept themselves in the hunt for playoffs with the third win in seven matches, chased the 144-run target with 20 balls to spare and after slipping to 38-3 in 5.5 overs.Islamabad United struck thrice in the Powerplay as they eked out opening duo of Saim Ayub and Mitchell Owen for single digit scores, while Mohammad Haris stayed on the crease for just 12 balls scoring 13 with the help of a six and four.Left-handed batter Maaz joined forces with Babar to take Zalmi out of trouble as the duo batted for 10 overs stitching a valuable 102-run stand for the fourth wicket. Babar, who is also the leading run-scorer in HBL PSL history, registered his 34th half-century – an unbeaten 53 off 49 balls inclusive of four boundaries and a solitary six.Maaz impressed with a sublime 33-ball 55, which included four fours and three sixes before he fell caught behind to Naseem Shah in the 16th over. Max Bryant hit the winning runs for Zalmi.Kyle Mayers, Ben Dwarshuis and Riley Meredith picked up a wicket each.Earlier, Islamabad United opted to bat and got off to a decent start notching 49 off the first six overs before Zalmi bowlers put the brakes on the run flow and restricted them to 143-9 in the allotted 20 overs.Sahibzada Farhan (36, 35b, 4x4s, 1x6) and Kyle Mayers (18, 18b, 2x4s, 1x6) put on 58 runs before Ahmed Daniyal drew the first blood for Zalmi in ninth over. In the next 5.2 overs, United could only add 33 runs losing five more wickets with pacer Mohammad Ali accounting for three of them.Skipper Shadab fell for an eight-ball 15 hitting three fours, while Colin Munro returned for a 10-ball 11. Salman Ali Agha, Azam Khan and Saad Masood couldn’t get into double figures. No. 1o batter Dwarshuis struck three sixes and two fours in his unbeaten 17-ball 33 to help his team post a fighting total after they had slipped to 107-7 in 16.1 overs.Apart from Mohammad Ali, who returned figures of 4-0-26-3, all other Zalmi bowlers dismissed one batter each.Scores in briefIslamabad United 143-9, 20 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 36, Ben Dwarshuis 33 not out; Mohammad Ali 3-26)Peshawar Zalmi 147-4, 16.4 overs (Maaz Sadaqat 55, Babar Azam 53 not out; Ben Dwarshuis 1-23)Player of the match – Maaz Sadaqat (Peshawar Zalmi)Saturday’s fixture: Quetta Gladiators v Islamabad United at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore; 8pm PKT
Match 20: Karachi Kings beat Multan Sultans by 87 runs
Lahore (SBR): Karachi Kings beat Multan Sultans by 87 runs here at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore in first game of the double-header on Thursday afternoon. Karachi Kings now have four wins to their name, while Sultans lost their seventh game out of the eight they have played. Karachi were helped to the win by James Vince’s unbeaten half-century, all-round brilliance of Khushdil Shah and Mohammad Nabi’s economical three-for.Sultans were dismissed for 117 in 16.1 overs, chasing the mammoth 205-run target, with no one except Kamran Ghulam and Yasir Khan crossing the 20-run mark. For Kings Mohammad Nabi (3-14) and Khushdil (2-26) shared five wickets among them, while Mir Hamza (2-15) had the best figures among pacers.Aamir Jamal drew the first blood for Kings by dismissing Mohammad Rizwan in the second over, while Mir Hamza and Mohammad Abbas Afridi struck to dismiss Usman Khan and Yasir Khan (26, 17b, 1x4, 3x6s), respectively as Sultans were left reeling at 34-3 in 4.2 overs.Kings landed blow after blow as Nabi and Khushdil bowled in tandem to put pressure on Sultans’ batting line-up. Kamran Ghulam’s two fours and one six in his 25-ball 29 were not enough to put their innings on track as he ran out of partners on regular intervals.Sultans could only add 32 runs to their total for the last five wickets with Chris Jordan remaining unbeaten for a nine-ball 14 with the help of one four and one six.Earlier, Karachi Kings breached the 200-run mark only for the fourth time in HBL PSL history, two of which have come in 2025 against Sultans, as their batters went berserk.After opting to bat first, David Warner, who smashed a 13-ball 30 with the help of four fours and two sixes, and Tim Seifert (22, 11b, 3x4s, 1x6) laid the tone for the big score with a quickfire 53-run stand taking just 23 balls.Seifert and Warner fell to Ubaid Shah and David Willey, respectively in a space of three balls, while no.4 batter Omair Bin Yousuf returned for a five-ball solitary run as Kings finished the Powerplay with 60-3 on the board.Kings’ top-scorer and no. 3 batter Vince and Muhammad Irfan Khan joined forces for the next 56 balls to collect 78 runs. With 91 runs on the board at halfway mark, Irfan tonked Usama Mir for consecutive sixes to ransack 16 runs off the 11th over.Curtis Campher provided the Sultans with much-needed breakthrough removing Irfan (40, 33b, 2x4s, 3x6s) in the 15th over. Vince, who remained unbeaten for 65 off 45 balls clubbing five fours and two sixes, then got together with Khushdil to help Kings score 66 runs off the last five overs.Khushdil smoked three sixes and two fours in his unbeaten 33 off just 13 balls helping Karachi to a solid total of 204-4 in the allotted 20 overs.Scores in briefMatch 20: Karachi Kings beat Multan Sultans by 87 runs at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore Karachi Kings 204-4, 20 overs (James Vince 65 not out, Muhammad Irfan Khan 40, Khushdil Shah 33 not out, David Warner 30, Tim Seifert 22; Ubaid Shah 2-49)Multan Sultans 117 all out, 16.1 overs (Kamran Ghulam 29, Yasir Khan 26; Mohammad Nabi 3-14, Mir Hamza 2-15, Khushdil Shah 2-15)Player of the match – James Vince (Karachi Kings)
Match 19: Lahore Qalandars beat Islamabad United by 88 runs
Lahore (SBR):Qalandars handed Islamabad United an 88-run defeat to register their fourth win in the HBL PSL X here at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Wednesday evening.Qalandars’ blazing performance was headlined by all-round prowess of Sikandar Raza (3-20 & 39) and Haris Rauf’s blistering four-for as they went to the second spot of the points table.Islamabad were bundled out for 121 in 16.5 overs as they lost nine wickets for a mere 41 runs in 44 balls. After Shaheen Shah Afridi removed Sahibzada Farhan in the third over – his 300th T20 scalp, USA batter Andries Gous (41, 27b, 2x4s, 3x6s) and Salman Ali Agha (36, 25b, 2x4s, 3x6s) gathered 69 runs for the second wicket.United’s batting collapse began with the fall of Salman as he was castled by Sikandar in the 10th over. Haider Ali fell to a spectacular catch by Tom Curran off the bowling of Asif Afridi in the 12th over.Haris, who also completed 300 wickets in T20s, pinned Azam Khan leg-before in the 11th over and then returned to deliver a double-wicket over dismissing Gous and Jason Holder to reduce United to 104-6.Player of the match Sikandar got rid of Ben Dwarshuis and skipper Shadab in the 16th over, while Haris removed Naseem to cap off a brilliant win for Qalandars.Earlier, Lahore Qalandars romped to their second highest total of the HBL PSL X posting 209-6 in 20 overs as all of their top six batters fired. Opening batters Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Naeem (25, 22b, 4x4s, 1x6) laid the tone for the big total with a 36-ball 50-run stand.Fakhar, who top-scored for his team with 44 off 30 balls inclusive of five fours and two sixes, stitched another valuable partnership of 47 runs with Abdullah Shafique (22, 17b, 3x4s) to take their team to 97-2 in 10.4 overs.Imad Wasim, who was the standout bowler for United with figures of 2-26, removed both Fakhar and Abdullah in 11th and 13th overs, respectively. Daryl Mitchell, batting at no.4, kept the run-flow intact as he smashed two fours and as many sixes in his 18-ball 28-run knock before falling to Dwarshuis in 17th over.With 145 runs on the board in 16.1 overs, Sikandar and Sam Billings went berserk ransacking 64 runs off the next 23 balls. Sikandar smashed 39 off 17 balls with the help of three fours and three maximums, while Billings remained unbeaten in breezy 38 off 17 balls hitting four sixes and one four. Apart from Imad, Jason Holder snapped two wickets. Lahore Qalandars will now face Quetta Gladiators in the evening fixture of tomorrow’s double-header at the Gaddafi Stadium.
Match 18: Quetta Gladiators beat Multan Sultans by 10 wickets
LAHORE (SBR): Quetta Gladiators’ Khurram Shahzad ran through the Multan Sultans batting line-up as they bagged their third consecutive win here at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on Tuesday night. Gladiators now sit on the second spot on the points table with four wins in six games.Khurram, who bagged four wickets for 23 runs in his four overs, joined forces with fellow pacers Mohammad Wasim Jnr (2-18) and Faheem Ashraf (2-21) to hand Multan Sultans their lowest total in HBL PSL history as they folded for a mere 89 in 17 overs.Sultans lost wickets at regular intervals as Khurram eked out the first four wickets in the initial 11 balls of his spell with just 20 runs on the board. Faheem removed Iftikhar Ahmed and Michael Bracewell in his back-to-back overs as Sultans slipped to 43-6 in 9.2 overs.Skipper Mohammad Rizwan remained unbeaten for a run-a-ball 44 with the help of three fours and one six as no other batter entered double figures for Sultans except Usama Mir (11, 6b, 1x4, 1x6). Wasim Jnr accounted for David Willey and Ubaid Shah giving away 18 runs in his four overs.In turn, Finn Allen and Saud Shakeel took just 41 balls to vault the 90-run target as the duo hit nine sixes and five fours among them. Allen finished with a 21-ball 45 not out, while Saud hit a 20-ball 42 not out inclusive of three fours and four sixes.
Faheem shines with a five-for as Gladiators continue winning momentum
Lahore (SBR):Faheem Ashraf (5-33) spearheaded Quetta Gladiators’ massive 64-run win over Peshawar Zalmi with a brilliant five-wicket haul here at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on Sunday night. It him took just 20 balls to bag his second T20 five-for.Saud Shakeel-led Gladiators are now placed third on the points table with three wins in five games, including back-to-back triumphs at their home in Lahore. Quetta’s pace attack registered a clinical performance returning collective figures of 9-81 in 12.2 over as they defended the 178-run total after Zalmi chose to bowl first.Faheem, who also holds the record for the second-best bowling figures (6-19) in HBL PSL, drew the first blood for Gladiators as he removed Saim Ayub in the second over of the innings. His double strike in the eighth over to remove Mohammad Haris and Abdul Samad was vital in breaking the back of Zalmi batting line-up as they slipped to 50-5.Zalmi skipper Babar Azam fell for a seven-ball 12 including a six and a four as Mohammad Amir pinned him leg-before in the third over. Mohammad Wasim Jnr castled Tom Kohler-Cadmore in the fifth over to add to Zalmi’s woes.No.5 batter Hussain Talat showed some resistance by hitting two sixes and four boundaries in his 34-ball 39-run outing but in vain as no other batter in his team batter crossed 20-run mark. Khurram Shahzad, who returned figures of 3-1-9-2, dismissed Mitchell Owen and Alzarri Joseph as Zalmi further slipped to 81-7.The last three wickets managed to add 29 runs to Zalmi’s 114-run total before player of the match Faheem capped off the innings by dismissing Luke Wood and Sufyan Moqim in 12th and 16th overs, respectively. Abrar Ahmed snared a solitary wicket in his three overs.Earlier, Quetta’s all top-five batters entered double figures and struck valuable thirties except no.3 Rilee Rossouw, who contributed with an 18-ball 27 including five fours. Openers Saud Shakeel (32, 26b, 5x4s) and Finn Allen (31, 16b, 4x4s, 2x6s) stitched a 46-run stand off 27 balls with the latter being the chief aggressor.Saud and Rossouw shared a 45-run stand to take their team to 91-2 in 9.3 overs. No.4 batter Kusal Mendis (32, 27b, 5x4s) and Mark Chapman (33, 26b, 3x4s) steadied the innings with a 34-ball 29-run stand for the fourth wicket before the former fell with scorecard reading 144-4 in 17 overs.Quetta added 34 runs in the last three overs to post a competitive total of 178-7 in 20 overs. Alzarri Jospeh was the pick of Zalmi bowlers as he dismissed three batters for 33 runs in four overs. Saim Ayub returned figures of 4-0-24-2 with the ball.Peshawar Zalmi are now placed fifth on the table with only two wins from six games. Monday, 28 April will be a rest day in HBL PSL X.Scores in briefMatch 17: Quetta Gladiators beat Peshawar Zalmi by 64 runs at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore Quetta Gladiators 178-7, 20 overs (Mark Chapman 33, Saud Shakeel 32, Kusal Mendis 32, Finn Allen 31, Rilee Rossouw 27; Alzarri Joseph 3-33, Saim Ayub 2-24)Peshawar Zalmi 114 all out, 15.2 overs (Hussain Talat 39; Faheem Ashraf 5-33, Khurram Shahzad 2-9)Player of the match – Faheem Ashraf (Quetta Gladiators)Tuesday’s fixture: Quetta Gladiators v Multan Sultans at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore; 8pm PKT
Lahore Qalandars beat Multan Sultans by 5 wickets in PSL mstch
Lahore (SzBR): Lahore Qalandars registered their third win of the tournament as they got the better of Multan Sultans by five wickets here at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on Saturday night. They are now placed second on the points table behind table-toppers Islamabad United.Qalandars handed Sultans their fifth loss in HBL PSL X by chasing the 186-run target in 19 overs with the help of a fiery 41-ball 89-run fifth-wicket stand between Daryl Mitchell and Sikandar Raza.In pursuit of the target, Qalandars lost opening batter Mohammad Naeem in the second over as Josh Little drew first blood for the Sultans. Fakhar Zaman struck three fours and two sixes in his 22-ball 28 before falling to Mohammad Hasnain with 45 runs on the board in 6.1 overs.Abdullah Shafique and Daryl Mitchell steered the chase with a steady 49-run stand off 31 balls before the former was undone by Ubaid Shah for 34 off 25 balls inclusive of two fours and as many sixes.Ubaid removed Sam Billings for a three-ball duck in the same over with Qalandars 95-4 in 11.5 overs as Sikandar joined Mitchell in the middle. With the required rate mounting, the duo kept their team in the hunt as they ransacked 14, 11 and 18 runs off the 13th, 14th and 15th overs, respectively.Mitchell, who brought up his second HBL PSL half-century off 32 balls, smashed four boundaries and as many sixes in his stellar 64-run knock. Raza, who hit the winning run for his team, struck a belligerent 21-ball 40 not out with the help of two fours and four sixes.For Sultans Ubaid dismissed two batters, while Little, Hasnain and Akif Javed had one wicket each to their name.Earlier, Multan Sultans were helped to a healthy total with the help of unbeaten half-centuries by skipper Mohammad Rizwan and no.5 batter Kamran Ghulam. After Sultans were asked to bat, their opening batters stitched a 30-run opening stand before Yasir Khan (24, 18b, 3x4s, 1x6) fell prey to Haris Rauf in the fifth over. Usman Khan (18, 14b, 2x4s, 1x6) and Shai Hope (9, 9b, 1x4) departed in 8th and 11th overs, respectively.With 70 runs on the board in 10.1 overs, Kamran and Rizwan went berserk as they notched 115 runs in the next 59 balls.Rizwan, who leads the batting charts in HBL PSL X with 302 runs currently, struck unbeaten 76 off 48 balls hitting six fours and three sixes, while Kamran was the chief aggressor as he hit four sixes and two fours in his 31-ball 52 not out outing.For Lahore, Tom Curran, Haris Rauf and Mitchell dismissed one batter each.
Quetta Gladiators beat Karachi Kings by 5 runs in PSL
Lahore (SBR): Quetta Gladiators registeredtheir second win in HBL PSL X as they beat Karachi Kings by a close margin of five runs in their first home game here at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on Friday night.Saud Shakeel-led outfit defended their 142-run total with an all-round bowling performance spearheaded by pace trio of Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Mohammad Amir and Khurram Shahzad, who bagged a combined haul of six scalps for 79 runs in 12 overs.Player of the match Abrar Ahmed gave away just 15 runs in his four overs snapping the important wicket of Khushdil Shah, who returned for a four-ball duck.Karachi Kings were jolted early on in the chase by Amir, who struck to remove David Warner for a run-a-ball four. Tim Seifert (48, 27b, 5x4s, 2x6s) and James Vince (29, 28b, 3x4s, 1x6) then stitched a solid 73-run stand off 49 balls before Saud outfoxed Vince in the ninth over.Three overs later Wasim Jnr got rid of Seifert inflicting a batting collapse as Kings slipped from 77-2 in 8.4 overs to 115-8 in 17.3 overs. Hasan Ali’s late charge including three fours and one six in an unbeaten 13-ball 24 didn’t prove enough as his team managed 137-8 in the allotted 20 overs. Earlier, Quetta got off to a rusty start as they lost three wickets for just 20 runs in 3.3 overs after being invited to bat first. Hasan Ali, who snapped all three wickets, struck twice in his first over removing Saud Shakeel and Finn Allen in a space of four balls before castling Rilee Rossouw in the fourth over.Kusal Mendis (36, 22b, 5x4s) and HBL PSL debutant Mark Chapman tried to reignite the Gladiators’ innings by stitching a rapid 14-ball 24-run stand before the latter was bowled by Mohammad Nabi, while the former fell prey to Mohammad Abbas Afridi.No.7 batter Faheem Ashraf got together with Hasan Nawaz in ninth over as the duo brought their team’s innings back on track by launching a flurry of boundaries. Faheem top-scored with a belligerent 43 off 27 balls hitting four fours and three sixes, while Hasan struck two fours in his 34-ball 35.The 59-run sixth-wicket stand, which took Quetta from 69-5 to 128-6 was broken by 20-year-old Fawad Ali. Gladiators then lost the last four wickets for a mere 14 runs as they were bundled for 142 in 19.3 overs.Hasan was the pick of the bowlers for Kings as the returned figures of 3.3-0-33-3, while Mir Hamza and Abbas picked up two wickets each.Scores in briefQuetta Gladiators 142 all out, 20 overs (Faheem Ashraf 43, Kusal Mendis 36, Hasan Nawaz 35; Hasan Ali 3-33, Mir Hamza 2-24, Mohammad Abbas Afridi 2-31)Karachi Kings 137-8, 20 overs (Tim Seifert 48, James Vince 29, Hasan Ali 24 not out; Mohammad Wasim Jnr 2-22, Mohammad Amir 2-26, Khurram Shahzad 2-31)Player of the match – Abrar Ahmed (Quetta Gladiators)Saturday’s fixture: Lahore Qalandars v Multan Sultans at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore; 8pm PKT
All-round Hussain, pacer Joseph help Zalmi seal crucial win over Qalandars
Lahore (SBR): Peshawar Zalmi hunted down the 130-run target in 16.4 overs with seven wickets in hand against Lahore Qalandars as they registered their second win of the tournament here at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on Thursday night.Skipper Babar Azam and Hussain Talat struck unbeaten half-centuries to seal the much-needed triumph for their team. Peshawar Zalmi pacers had earlier pegged the Lahore Qalandars batting line-up by taking eight wickets for 83 runs.In the chase, Lahore Qalandars gave Zalmi early scare by snaring the wickets of Saim Ayub and Tom Kohler-Cadmore in the first two overs with 11 runs on the board. Mohammad Haris, batting at no.4, broke the shackles as he struck one four and two sixes before falling for a 16-ball 20 at the end of fifth over.Babar (56 not out, 42b, 7x4s, 1x6) and Hussain (51 not out, 37b, 5x4s, 1x6) joined forces at 40-3 and stitched an unbeaten 83-run stand to see Zalmi home with 20 balls to spare. Both the batters brought up their half-centuries off 37 balls each.Earlier, Peshawar Zalmi pacers ran riot with the ball as they reduced Lahore Qalandars to 35-5 in the Powerplay. Fakhar Zaman and Abdullah Shafique fell to player of the match Alzarri Joseph, while Luke Wood removed Asif Ali and Daryl Mitchell in the third over.Pace sensation Ali Raza joined the fellow pacers on the wickets column soon in sixth over as he dismissed Sam Billings. Skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi (16, 10b, 2x6s) came in to bat at no.6 and was caught behind off Hussain’s right-arm medium pace with his team reeling at 44-6 in 7.1 overs.Joseph returned in 11th over to dent Qalandars again as he removed Rishad Hossain, who had stitched a 23-run stand with no.7 batter Sikandar Raza. The Zimbabwean all-rounder lifted his side from 67-7 to 129 all out in 19.2 overs with a fighting 37-ball 52 with the help of five fours and three sixes.Sikandar, who fell to Hussain in 20th over, was provided brief support by Haris Rauf (10, 14b, 1x6) and Asif Afridi (6 not out, 11b, 1x4) with whom he added 36 and 25 runs, respectively.For Zalmi, Joseph had returned figures of 4-1-15-3, while Hussain Talat and Luke Wood dismissed two batters each. Ali and Arif Yaqoob had one wicket each to their name as well.Lahore Qalandars and Peshawar Zalmi now have four points each on the points table after playing five games and are placed third and fourth, respectively.
Gous hits unbeaten 80 as United continue red-hot form in HBL PSL X
Multan (SBR):Defending champions Islamabad United continued their winning streak with a fifth consecutive triumph in HBL PSL X as they beat Multan Sultans by seven wickets here at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Wednesday night.Shadab Khan-led United romped to their 10th consecutive win since HBL PSL 2024 as they chased the 169-run target set by Sultans with 17 balls to spare, banking on opening batter Andries Gous’ 80 not out inclusive of six fours and five maximums.No other team has won ten games on the trot in HBL PSL’s history with Multan Sultans sitting on second with an eight-match winning streak.Gous, who faced 45 balls to register his maiden HBL PSL half-century, lost his opening partner Sahibzada Farhan in the third over after the duo had put on 29 runs in pursuit of the target. No.3 batter Colin Munro walked in all guns blazing as he stitched a fiery 81-run partnership for the second wicket off 48 balls.Munro contributed a 28-ball 45 to the cause hitting five fours and two sixes. After Michael Bracewell removed Munro in 11th over, Mohammad Nawaz (21, 19b, 1x4, 1x6) and Gous steered their team closer to the target with a 55-run third-wicket stand.For Sultans, Bracewell, Ubaid Shah and Chris Jordan picked up one wicket each.Earlier, Multan Sultans elected to bat first after winning the toss and their opening batters Mohammad Rizwan (36, 37b, 3x4s) and Yasir Khan (29, 17b, 2x4s, 2x6s) put on a solid 51-run stand off 6.4 overs.After Mohammad Nawaz drew the first blood for United dismissing Yasir, Usman Khan walked in and hit the ground running with a 29-ball half-century. Shadab Khan broke Rizwan and Usman’s 65-run stand in 14th over with 116 runs on the board.United bowlers kept a check on the run flow as they gave away only 42 runs in the last five overs dismissing Bracewell, Iftikhar Ahmed and Sultans’ top-scorer Usman (61, 40b, 4x4s, 4x6s). Kamran Ghulam capped off the Sultans innings with a six and a four in his unbeaten six-ball 10.Nawaz, Jason Holder, Shadab and Riley Meredith dismissed one batter each. Islamabad United will now face Lahore Qalandars at Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday, 30 April.Scores in briefMatch 13: Islamabad United beat Multan Sultans by seven wickets at Multan Cricket StadiumMultan Sultans 168-5, 20 overs (Usman Khan 61, Mohammad Rizwan 36, Yasir Khan 29; Mohammad Nawaz 1-13)Islamabad United 171-3, 17.1 overs (Andries Gous 80 not out, Colin Munro 45, Sahibzada Farhan 22, Mohammad Nawaz 21; Chris Jordan 1-24)Player of the match – Andries Gous (Islamabad United)
Multan Sultans beat Lahore Qalandars by 33 runs in PSL fixture
Multan (SBR): Multan Sultans finally clinched their first win in HBL PSL X, defeating Lahore Qalandars by 33 runs in a high-scoring contest here at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Tuesday night. Sultans opening batter Yasir Khan shone in his first outing of the season with an explosive 87 before an all-round bowling display spearheaded by pacer Ubaid Shah restricted Qalandars to 195-9 in the allotted 20 overs while chasing a mammoth 229-run target.Qalandars lost Mohammad Naeem (11, 11b, 2x4s) early in the chase with Michael Bracewell striking in the fourth over. The experienced Fakhar Zaman then led the charge with attacking strokes, racing to 32 off 14 balls including three sixes and two fours, but he was caught in the deep midwicket off Ubaid to leave Qalandars 49-2 in five overs.Timely strikes from Bracewell and Ubaid in the middle pegged back Qalandars from making significant progress. After Usama Mir castled No. 6 Qalandars batter Rishad Hossain for two, the visitors required another 118 runs for victory in 52 balls.The sixth-wicket partnership of 38 off 22 deliveries between Sam Billings (43, 23b, 2x4s, 4x6s) and Sikandar Raza briefly threatened Sultans. However, Billings skied one to Kamran Ghulam to hand Ubaid his third wicket of the night.Sikandar continued to play big shots after Billings’ departure, hitting an unbeaten 50 off 27 balls (5x4s, 3x6s) but the Qalandars’ lower-order failed to fire. For Sultans, Ubaid grabbed three wickets for 37 runs while off-spinner Bracewell and leggie Usama claimed two scalps each.Earlier, Yasir lit up Sultans’ first outing at home in HBL PSL X with a scintillating knock (87, 44b, 6x4s, 6x6s), propelling Multan Sultans to a commanding total of 228-5 – the highest team total at the Multan Cricket Stadium in HBL PSL history. He laid a rock-solid platform with skipper Mohammad Rizwan (32, 17b, 4x4s, 1x6) with a breezy 89-run opening stand in 45 balls.Sultans’ batting onslaught continued with the second-wicket partnership between Yasir and Usman Khan (39, 24, 5x4s, 1x6) yielding 70 runs in just 38 balls. Following Yasir’s exploits, Iftikhar Ahmed capped a dominant batting performance with a quick-fire cameo of 40 not out from 18 deliveries, smashing three boundaries and as many sixes.Qalandars' bowlers did not have the best time in the field as their pacers conceded a total of 142 runs in 10 overs with just one wicket between them. Left-arm orthodox Asif Afridi bowled an economical spell with 1-26 from his four overs whereas leg-spinner Rishad took two wickets for 45 runs.Scores in briefMatch 12: Multan Sultans beat Lahore Qalandars by 33 runs at Multan Cricket StadiumMultan Sultans 228-5, 20 overs (Yasir Khan 87, Iftikhar Ahmed 40 not out, Usman Khan 39, Mohammad Rizwan 32; Rishad Hossain 2-45)Lahore Qalandars 195-9, 20 overs (Sikandar Raza 50 not out, Sam Billings 43, Fakhar Zaman 32; Ubaid Shah 3-37, Michael Bracewell 2-20, Usama Mir 2-26)Player of the match – Yasir Khan (Multan Sultans).
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