It was a batting onslaught of the highest pedigree from Lahore Qalandars in the rain-curtailed 13-over HBL PSL 2026 encounter against Multan Sultans at the Gaddafi Stadium on Friday night.
Whether it was the openers Mohammad Naeem (60) and Parvez Hossain Emon (45), or Abdullah Shafique (33) at the back end of the innings, the magnitude of the batting decimation had already tilted the contest in the Qalandars’ favor at the halfway stage, as they ended up with a mammoth 185 for five from just 78 balls.
The Sultans’ skipper, Ashton Turner, was left puzzled over the decision to bowl first, seeing his bowlers being pummeled to all parts of the park. Even in reply to the 186-run target, they could manage 165, losing the game by 20 runs.
Qalandars batting rampage
After the game was reduced to 13 overs per side due to heavy rain in Lahore, the batters scored at a brisk pace with Naeem scoring 60 off 28 balls with four fours and six sixes, while Emon notched 45 from 19 deliveries at a strike rate of 236.84, including two fours and five sixes.
Abdullah added a fiery 33 from 14 balls as the Qalandars set an imposing 186-run target for the Sultans in the third PSL 11 match.
Naeem got the innings off to a 26-run start with three boundaries in the first over, then struck two sixes in the third over off Muhammad Wasim.
Emon took charge next, smashing two sixes and a four, before hitting three successive sixes off Faisal Akram in the fifth over as the Qalandars raced to 85 in five overs.
Emon was removed by Ismail on the first ball of the sixth over, but Abdullah and Naeem added a brisk 58-run partnership before falling in successive overs, with the score at 156 in 10.
Peter Siddle cleaned up Rubin Hermann (3) in the penultimate over, but Sikandar Raza (13*) hit back-to-back boundaries on the final two balls.
For the Sultans, only Siddle shone with figures of one for 26 in three overs, while Faisal and Ismail picked up one and two wickets respectively but conceded more than 15 runs per over.
Shan, Ashton show respite for Multan
Chasing a daunting total that required nearly 15 runs per over, the Sultans got off to a shaky start, losing Steve Smith (9) and Josh Philippe (1) within the first four overs, with the score at just 18.
Shan Masood and in-form Sahibzada Farhan (24) steadied the innings with a cautious 32-run partnership for the third wicket, before Farhan fell to Mustafizur Rahman in the sixth over.
Masood then took charge, launching a counter-attack, but he too fell to Rahman in the 10th over after scoring a brisk 44 off 18 balls, featuring seven fours and a six.
After Masood’s departure, captain Ashton Turner and all-rounder Arafat Minhas (25) added a resilient 57-run stand for the fifth wicket, only for Minhas to be dismissed by Sikandar Raza in the final over.
Turner batted to the end, top-scoring with an unbeaten 52 off 22 balls, including five sixes and two fours.
For the Qalandars, Mustafizur Rahman was the standout bowler with two scalps for 37 runs in three overs, while Ubaid Shah, Sikandar Raza, and captain Shaheen Afridi picked up a wicket each.
Comments
See what people are discussing