Multan Sultans made it two wins out of two in the Pakistan Super League on Friday night. After stunning champions Peshawar Zalmi on Thursday, they repeated the feat again with a 43-run win over Lahore Qalanders at Dubai International Stadium.
Kumar Sangakkara once again rose to the occasion with another half-century, while there was a solid partnership of 65 between Umar Akmal and Fakhar Zaman which at one stage gave Lahore hope of chasing 180.
Here are the takeaways from the third match of the tournament:
Kumar Sangakkara rediscovering his best form
At 40, the ex-Sri Lanka captain is proving that age is no barrier.. His 63-runs was his second consecutive half-century in this competition following his 57 runs against Peshawar Zalmi on Thursday. A man who consistently delivered on the international career during his 15 years is showing there’s plenty left in the tank, even at an age where most cricketers have retired. There’s still a long way to go in the tournament, but his early form bodes well for Multan Sultans that they can go far.
SIX! 16.2 Mustafizur Rahman to Kumar Sangakkara
— PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) February 23, 2018
Watch the match at https://t.co/L59mYLdXkg#HBLPSL #DilSeJaanLagaDe #LQvMS #Cricingif #PSL2018 pic.twitter.com/QRoKdTdb3Q
More batting prowess than just Brendon McCullum
When the New Zealand batsman failed to get off the mark, lasting just five balls, Lahore only had 40 on the scoreboard with two wickets down. It was a long road back for Lahore and while it ended in a defeat, Aaqib Javed can take positives from Fakhar Zaman and Umar Akmal’s heroic batting efforts. The pair defied the opposition bowlers for a large spell, putting on a 65-run stand for the third wicket before Multan got the breakthrough. With Chris Lynn ruled out before the tournament, the pressure is on for Lahore batsmen to make an impact.
Shot of the day
There were plenty of boundaries during the match but Fakhar Zaman certainly tops the list. Imran Tahir was the unfortunate man with his googly not deceiving the batsman and instead spinning wide. It allowed Zaman to get more room and slog sweep the ball into the second-tier of the stadium.
SIX! 9.3 Imran Tahir to Fakhar Zaman
— PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) February 23, 2018
Watch ball by ball highlights at https://t.co/L59mYLdXkg#HBLPSL #DilSeJaanLagaDe #LQvMS #Cricingif #PSL2018 pic.twitter.com/dUqIW7xUun
Man of the match
Junaid Khan had a fair shout of winning the personal accolade with his hat-trick but that honour went to Imran Tahir. The South African was lethal with the ball and his double wickets were crucial in the game. Finished with figures of 3-27.
Imran Tahir is the Man of the Match for his sensational spell of bowling #HBLPSL #DilSeJaanLagaDe pic.twitter.com/61gHFsDIO6
— PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) February 23, 2018
Quote of the match
Shoaib Malik on Imran Tahir and Junaid Khan:
“Junaid Khan is a very good bowler and I knew when I asked him to come and bowl, he said I’ll do it. I must mention Imran Tahir’s name as well. He came up to me, in a crucial situation, said give me the ball and he took those wickets for us. Our goal was to fight till the last ball, even when it seemed like they would win.”
OUT! 16.5 Junaid Khan to Raza Hasan
— PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) February 23, 2018
Watch ball by ball highlights at https://t.co/L59mYLdXkg#HBLPSL #DilSeJaanLagaDe #LQvMS #Cricingif #PSL2018 pic.twitter.com/o0c5cI9i20