1st Match (N), Pakistan Spacious League at Dubai, Feb 22 2018 | Match Epic | ESPNCricinfo

Multan Sultans 152 for three (Sangakkara fifty seven, Malik 42*) beat Peshawar Zalmi 151 for six (Hafeez fifty 9, Sammy 29, Irfan 2-19) by seven wickets
nScorecard and ball-by-ball particulars

In a nutshell

The absence of passable power hitters can also honest own been a area for Multan Sultans, but they kicked off their campaign with a trail accurate to their line-up.

The 152-bustle target used to be clinically chased down courtesy a in overall silent half-century by Kumar Sangakkara and an unbeaten 42 from the captain Shoaib Malik. Defending champions Peshawar Zalmi didn’t bowl badly, but they merely didn’t own passable runs on a greener, sooner strip than is never any longer commonly connected to the UAE.

Darren Sammy’s males started shakily, because of a real opening spell by Sohail Tanvir, who swung the ball in sharply. He used to be expertly backed up by Mohammad Irfan.

Irfan’s further jump proved particularly troubling for final yr’s leading bustle-scorer Kamran Akmal, who fell for a duck attempting to pull atrocious the line. A half-century from Mohammad Hafeez saved the innings collectively, while supporting roles from Dwayne Smith and Haris Sohail helped Zalmi regroup even though their bustle rate used to be always a area. Sammy’s 29 off Eleven balls helped them secure previous a hundred fifty, but in the tip, it used to be the early sluggishness that they had been left to bemoan.

The place the match used to be gained

With Sultans desiring 38 off four overs, the sport used to be in the steadiness. Wahab Riaz had one over left while specialist death bowler Chris Jordan had two. This meant no longer lower than one over would possibly perchance be bowled by somebody who Sammy ideally didn’t desire on the tip. The scenario positioned even more stress on Wahab and Jordan to nail their three overs to give the opposite bowler passable runs to play with. Nonetheless Jordan’s over went 12, because of a couple sloppy fielding and a fortuitous outdoor edge off Pollard’s bat. Wahab too ended up conceding Eleven in his subsequent over, thanks all over again to a couple unlucky fielding on the boundary. By the time it got here to final over, Hammad Azam had proper six runs to shield. Malik build paid to any thoughts he would possibly perchance need harboured of being an no longer going hero by smashing the first ball for six to seal the deal.

The males that gained it

The headlines can also honest slip to the batsmen but Sultans’ task had been made considerably more straightforward by their savvy hasty bowlers in the first half. Every person of Tanvir, Irfan, Junaid Khan and Hardus Viljoen had been in total control. Barring one wide Tanvir over on the death, the batsmen struggled to plot a extinct link in this quartet, diminished as an different to logging away at Imran Tahir, never an accurate prospect. They complemented every other’s strengths like an ethical bowling unit, Tanvir’s and Junaid’s swing, Irfan’s jump and Viljoen’s accuracy combining to suffocate the opposition. It used to be the bowling, no longer the bottom, that used to be to blame for Zalmi managing most advantageous 151, which, as Sultans had been later in a position to picture, used to be a bit of below par. Sammy instructed on the presentation that they had been « about ten runs rapid ».

Acing the reviews

All of us seen Sammy get rid of a selfie with out a smartphone final yr, and it appears his aspect’s invisible digital expertise lengthen to mastering HawkEye, too. The DRS, new to the PSL this yr, used to be thrust into the highlight as early because the 2d over when Tamim Iqbal used to be given out caught on the encourage of. The Bangladesh opener reviewed trusty now, with the replays showing the ball had overlooked the bat by some margin. About a overs later, Dwayne Smith used to be given lbw off an Imran Tahir depraved ‘un, and though it seemed out at paunchy tempo, the batsman called for a 2d look all over again. The ball used to be discovered to be crusing successfully over the stumps. The DRS had been given an early exercise, and first blood had long previous to the gamers.

The place they stand

Sultans are desk toppers, understandably, but must picture the connected intensity lower than 24 hours later as they come encourage to play the 2d sport on Friday evening. Zalmi own a day to get better.

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