Mohammd Rizwan-led Multan Sultans defeated Peshawar Zalmi by 42 runs to register their sixth consecutive win in the 16th match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) at the Gaddafi Stadium.
Chasing a 183-run target, the Zalmi never looked comfortable as both Kamran Akmal and Liam Livingstone were sent back to the pavilion in the first six overs.
Both Sultans and Zalmi were playing their second fixtures against each other today.
Sultans continued to strike on regular intervals as the Zalmi were clueless in crafting the run-chase. Soon afterwards, the Wahab Riaz-led team looked in sheer turmoil.
Experienced all-rounder Shoaib Malik played a good knock of 44 runs and remained the highest scorer for his team. Malik tried to bring Zalmi closer to the target by smashing some boundaries, but the task for him was humongous against a brilliant Sultans attack that restricted the Zalmi to 140 at the loss of 10 wickets.
In terms of bowling, Khushdil Shah and Blessing Muzarabani were once against the stand-out bowlers for their team as they took three wickets each, while Shahnawaz Dahani dismissed two batters.
Abbas Afridi and Imran Tahir picked one wicket each.
Sultan's innings
The in-from Sultans were invited to bat first by Zalmi skipper Wahab Riaz and they handed a 183-run target.
Sultans posted the total courtesy of Shan Masood’s terrific 68 runs and Tim David's sensational 34 runs off 18 balls. Their openers Shan Masood and Mohammad Rizwan provided them with a 98-run opening stand.
Rizwan scored 34 runs, as he didn't look in the flow today, but Masood continued his rich form by playing a 68-run inning of 49 balls with the help of eight fours and one six which provided a solid foundation for other batters to launch an onslaught against the Zalmi bowlers in the late overs.
For Zalmi, experienced all-rounder Shoaib Malik was economical as he conceded only nine runs in two overs.
Salman Irshad, Wahab Riaz and Saqib Mahmood took two wickets each, but they were also smashed badly.
Mohammad Rizwan-led Sultans have beaten all the other teams — Karachi Kings, Lahore Qalandars, Quetta Gladiators, Peshawar Zalmi, and Islamabad United — in the PSL 2022.
Playing XI:
Multan Sultans: Shan Masood, Mohammad Rizwan (c)(wk), Sohaib Maqsood, Rilee Rossouw, Tim David, Khushdil Shah, Anwar Ali, Abbas Afridi, Imran Tahir, Blessing Muzarabani, Shahnawaz Dahani
Peshawar Zalmi: Kamran Akmal (wk), Liam Livingstone, Haider Ali, Shoaib Malik, Sherfane Rutherford, Ben Cutting, Hussain Talat, Wahab Riaz (c), Saqib Mahmood, Mohammad Umar, Salman Irshad
