Lahore Qalandars vs Multan Sultans - Commentary

Right then, that is it from this exciting opening game in the 8th edition of the Pakistan Super League and the action continues on Tuesday 14th of February for the second match. It will be played between Karachi Kings and Peshawar Zalmi at the National Stadium in Karachi at 7.30 pm IST (2.00 pm GMT). Do join us early for the build-up as usual. Cheers!

Shaheen Afridi the skipper of Lahore Qalandars says that it was a good start from them right from the beginning of the game courtesy of Fakhar Zaman and Mirza Tahir Baig. Mentions that all the bowlers did well to keep it tight and they have a good set of bowlers but credits Zaman Khan specifically for the way he bowled the last over. Claims that they knew that if they took one wicket then they would be in the game. Reckons that it is their first match so they will hope to improve as the tournament progresses.

Mohammad Rizwan the captain of Multan Sultans says that they were going well at the halfway mark in the chase but Lahore Qalandars came back at the end and took the game away from them. Adds that they did not think about dew but played to the team’s strengths. Says that they did most things right and almost got over the line but credits the opponents for pulling the game back in their favor. Closes by saying that he is pleased with his team’s effort and they will look to do well in the coming games.

Fakhar Zaman has been adjudged the PLAYER OF THE MATCH for scoring 66 runs in 42 balls. He says that the pitch wasn’t as they expected as they thought the ball would come onto the bat but instead it was helpful to the bowlers. Adds that they decided to take time and get used to the pitch. Mentions that by the time they got the feel of the wicket, it was already 12-13 overs so they managed to get a lower score but they knew their bowlers were good enough to defend this total.

Time for the presentations...

Hussain Talat is up for a chat and he says that he is happy to be playing for Lahore Qalandars and that they have got early momentum with this win. Adds that the batting gets difficult later in the day as the ball skids on and we had faith to defend in the final overs with our quality bowlers. Closes out by mentioning that he is happy with the win and is glad to be playing under Shaheen Afridi's captaincy.

Lahore Qalandars also got off to a good start with the bat after losing the toss scoring 50 runs in the Powerplay and not losing any wickets. Fakhar Zaman scored a good half-century but they could not make the most of their start and probably fell short by 10-15 runs. Usama Mir was outstanding with the ball and along with Ihsanullah claimed a couple of wickets each. Shahnawaz Dahani and Akeal Hosein chipped in with a wicket each and the host would have been confident of chasing the target on a friendly batting track. However, they were unable to hold their nerves and will have to pick themselves up as this is just the start of the tournament.

Multan Sultans got off to a wonderful start as Mohammad Rizwan and Shan Masood put in the hard yards and stitched together a 100-run partnership. Shan Masood was dismissed on 35 of 31 deliveries but David Miller came to the crease and did not let the tempo drop. Mohammad Rizwan was dismissed on 75 and there were some nerves creeping into the home side’s dressing room. Kieron Pollard walked out to the middle and he along with David Miller got off to decent starts but were dismissed in the quest for some quick runs. Khushdil Shah looked to pull off a tough task in the last over but fell short marginally to end what was a disappointing game for the hosts.

What a remarkable fightback this has been from the reigning champions! They steal a nail-biting victory and get over the finish line with a ONE-RUN WIN! This is the stuff champions are made of and they hung on till the very end to seal a remarkable win. Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf started off well and bowled with discipline but could not claim wickets against a watchful opening pair. The rest of the bowlers proved to be quite ineffective till Hussain Talat finally claimed a wicket against the run of play. Shaheen Afridi came back into the attack and dismissed his counterpart giving the visitors a glimmer of hope. The skipper and Haris Rauf bowled outstandingly well in the death overs to give Zaman Khan 15 runs to defend in the last over. He held his nerves and has got Lahore Qalandars to a great start in their title defense.

Usama Mir walks out to the middle.

Usman Khan makes his way out to the crease.

Slight delay! There seems to be some confusion out in the middle as the Lahore Qalandars seem to need some time figuring out the fielding placements.

David Wiese has been given the responsibility of bowling the last over. Wait a minute! Shaheen Afridi changes his mind and calls for Zaman Khan as hands the ball over to him.

Who will walk out now?