MATCH REPORT
Follow UsA maiden four-wicket haul in his sixth T20 match for Shahnawaz Dhani and a century second-wicket partnership between Mohammad Rizwan and Sohaib Maqsood steered Multan Sultans to a clinical eight-wicket victory over Peshawar Zalmi in Match 21 of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2021 at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium on Sunday (June 13).
This was just the third victory for Sultans, who remain in sixth position in the table. However, Zalmi were robbed of an opportunity to go level on points with Islamabad United and Lahore Qalandars and they still remain in the third position with eight points from as many matches.
Shahnawaz's figures of 4 for 31 restricted Zalmi to 166 for 7 after a rapid 40-ball 56 by Sherfane Rutherford. Rizwan and Sohaib then stitched a 116-run partnership from 76 balls to set up Sultans’ win with 21 balls and eight wickets spare.
Rizwan stroked his 20th half-century and remained unbeaten on 82 off 56 deliveries, while Sohaib contributed 61 off 31, in an innings that included four fours and five sixes. Shahnawaz and Rizwan also capped a fine evening for Multan by moving to the top of the leading wicket-takers and run-getters list, respectively. Shahnawaz now has 13 wickets in the tournament, while Rizwan leads the field with 408 runs with his national captain Babar Azam of Karachi Kings second with 343 runs.
Rizwan and Sohaib, who had suffered a wrist injury while fielding, had got together after Shan Masood had departed at the score of 45 in the fourth over. The two batsmen dominated Zalmi bowling with excellent shot selection and precise hitting, leading Sultan to 59 for one after the powerplay and 100 for 1 at the halfway stage.
Earlier, Peshawar Zalmi, put into bat, slipped from 71 for no loss to 117 for five in the 16th over to finish at 166 for seven – thanks to a 40-ball 56 with two fours and four sixes by Sherfane Rutherford. Zalmi collected 52 runs without losing any wicket in their powerplay, while they reached 84 for 2 at the halfway stage. In their final five overs, Zalmi scored 56 runs with Rutherford dominating the scoring.
Multan will take on Quetta Gladiators in their next game on Wednesday (June 16), while Peshawar will be thoroughly tested against Karachi Kings on Tuesday (June 15).
Brief scores:
Peshawar Zalmi 166 for 7 in 20 overs (Sherfane Rutherford 56, Kamran Akmal 35; Shahnawaz Dhani 4 for 31) lost to Multan Sultans 167 for 2 in 16.3 overs (Mohammad RIzqan 82*, Sohaib Maqsood 61; Mohammad Irfan 1 for 24) by 8 wickets.
Player of the match: Shahnawaz Dhani
(With inputs from PSL media release)
(Image courtesy: PCB)