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It was complete domination by the Multan Sultans as they make their 3rd consecutive entry into the PSL final. Qalandars will look to put this behind them and come out with a positive frame of mind tomorrow. They can't afford any more hiccups. The PSL carnival continues tomorrow with Peshawar Zalmi slated to lock horns against Islamabad United in the 1st eliminator. Till then, it's ta-ta from the commentary box. This is me, Arya Sekhar Chakraborty signing off also on behalf of my fellow commentator Karhik Raj. Cheers!!
Mohammad Rizwan (Multan Sultans captain): The way we started, the ball was coming onto the bat with the new ball. But in the middle, it became very difficult but the way we ended was exceptional. The pitch wasn’t easy, it was two-paced so our plan was to score 170. What a knock from Pollard and he was the reason why we went on score 160.
Kieron Pollard (Player of the Match): It was a challenging pitch especially after coming from Rawalpindi. None of us played cricket in the last three days, Lahore has been quite brilliant in the tournament. Yes, they have a very good bowling attack but we realised we have to stick to our strengths. We lost a wicket, Rizwan and I tried to build a partnership, he got out and then we had to rebuild again. We will watch and see what’s gonna happen. The guys gonna sit down and plan, and practice. Let's see what happens in the final. It’s all about enjoying yourself.
Shaheen Shah Afridi (Lahore Qalandars captain): We were going to bowl first after winning the toss and this wasn't a huge total to hunt down. If your primary batter gets out early on in the innings, it becomes difficult for the middle order to adapt to the conditions. We have one day now and we have to find a way to bounce back. We will try and improve in the next game. A good catch and a good run out can win you matches and we have to work hard on our fielding now before Qualifier 2. The conditions were breezy in the second half and Sheldon Cottrell made the most out of it.
Anwar Ali: As a team effort, outstanding to play the PSL final for the third consecutive time. Was just focusing on the basics and trying to hit the right areas. Thankfully, I got the key wicket of Fakhar Zaman. Plan was to play positive cricket. For the final, just have to enjoy the big day!
Multan Sultans won by 84 runs
Multan Sultans 160/5 in 20 overs
Kieron Pollard 57(34) | Mohammad Rizwan 33(29) Haris Rauf 3/34(4) | Rashid Khan 1/18(4)
Lahore Qalandars 76 all-out in 14.3 overs
Sam Billings 19(27) | Haris Rauf 15(13) Sheldon Cottrell 3/20(3) | Usama Mir 2/12(2)
At the halfway stage, the Multan Sultans would have been reasonably satisfied with the score of 160 but it was far from a winning total. It was just about par and they needed an inspired bowling effort to win the match. The Qalandars were never in the game, kept losing wickets right from the word go and there was no way back for them. They were never in it and none of the batters could make any impact whatsoever.
Sheldon Cottrell and Anwar Ali were quite brilliant in their opening burst, bagging four wickets among themselves in the powerplay. They stuck to the length deliveries and found help from the surface. Both moved the ball prodigiously and it was tough for the batters out there. It was Anwar Ali's unplayable in-dipper which castled Fakhar Zaman and totally shifted the momentum in Multan's favour.
It was a like a procession from there on. None of the batters was ready to bid their time in the middle and was holed out in the deep in an attempt to clear the boundary. Towards the end, Haris Rauf and David Wiese struck some lusty blows but it was all done by then. Eventually, it was Abbas Afridi who finished it off with the wicket of Haris Rauf to hand the Sultans a convincing 84-run victory.
Earlier in the day, it was Rizwan who won the toss and opted to bat. Kieron Pollard dug them out of a hole and smashed a quickfire half-century to take his side to a competitive score in the end. The ease with which Pollard executed some of his shots, especially against sheer pace was simply exceptional for a player who has retired from international cricket and also the IPL. Eventually, the score of 160 proved more than enough.
That's it, the Lahore Qalandars have been completely outplayed in all three departments of the game as the Multan Sultans directly qualify for the final. They are into their 3rd consecutive PSL final. They will be a tough team to beat. The Qalandars will sit and ponder on what went wrong today and try to come back stronger in the next qualifier. They still have a chance of making it to the final so all is not lost for them. It was an exceptional bowling effort from all the Qalandars bowlers as they skittled out Lahore for just 76. They were annihilated but mind you, they are a solid team and we could expect them to bounce back.
14.3 Abbas Afridi to Haris Rauf, EDGED AND GONE! LAHORE HAVE BEEN ROLLED OVER FOR 76! Full outside-off, Rauf has a wild swing but he only manages to edge it behind to Mohammad Rizwan who makes no mistake with the catch. So, Multan Sultans advance to their third consecutive PSL final!
Haris Rauf c Mohammad Rizwan b Abbas Afridi 15 (13b, 2x4, 1x6)
14.2 Abbas Afridi to Haris Rauf, short delivery, Rauf goes for the pull shot but he misses it
14.1 Abbas Afridi to Haris Rauf, back of a length slower delivery, Rauf stays deep and defends it to the off-side
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Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
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