The Pakistan Super League 2022 double-header day saw Lahore Qalandars and Multan Sultans win their respective games against Islamabad United and Peshawar Zalmi. The two teams clinched important victories as the race towards the tournament playoffs only intensifies.
In the first game, Qalandars defeated the United by eight runs after posting a par score of 174/9 in their allotted 20 overs. The Qalandars got off to a solid start with their openers Fakhar Zaman (38) and Abdullah Shafique (44) dominating the bowling through their 83-run stand.
At that point, Qalandars looked like posting a total in excess of 200 but what followed was a mini-collapse in the middle-order that left them unsettled at 98/5. Thankfully, just then, they had Harry Brook (37) and David Wiese (20), adding a crucial 51-run stand for the sixth wicket. Thereafter, a crucial cameo from Rashid Khan (15*) took the Qalandars past the 170-mark.
Captain Shadab Khan (4/20) and Waqas Maqsood (4/35) were commendable with the ball for Islamabad.
In the run-chase, an indifferent performance with the bat at the top and in the end cost United badly, as either side of middle-order half-centurions Colin Munro (60) and Shadab (52) they lacked the substance and the firepower to be able to inch ahead of the Qalandars.
Qalandars had two key performers with the ball in skipper Shaheen Afridi (1/24) and Zaman Khan (1/29), who helped keep the United at bay.
Brief scores
Lahore Qalandars 174/9 in 20 overs (Shafique 44; Khan 4/20) beat Islamabad United 166/5 in 20 overs (Munro 60; Rauf 2/43) by 8 runs
In the other match played between Peshawar Zalmi and Multan Sultans, the Sultans came out on top after a high-scoring encounter. Sultans made a giant score of 222 for three in their 20 overs, thanks largely to the magnificent 82 from skipper Mohammad Rizwan and a stellar 19-ball 51 from Tim David.
The Zalmi attack was taken to the cleaners on the night, with only their skipper Shoaib Malik (1/17) ending with respectable figures.
In the run-chase, opener Hazratullah Zazai (43) and allrounder Ben Cutting (52) fought hard to keep their team in the hunt. But the mountain-like target eventually proved too good for the Zalmi.
Imran Tahir (3/25) was once again the chief destroyer with the ball for Sultans.
Brief scores
Multan Sultans 222/3 in 20 overs (Rizwan 82, David 51*; Malik 1/17) beat Peshawar Zalmi 165/8 in 20 overs (Cutting 52; Tahir 3/25) by 57 runs
