Lahore Qalandars defeated Multan Sultans by 20 runs, powered by Mohammad Naeem's fifty and tight bowling, in rain-shortened match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 at Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium on Friday.
Set to chase a daunting 186-run target in 13 overs, the 2021 champions could accumulate 165/5 despite a blistering cameo by Shan Masood and an unbeaten half-century by captain Ashton Turner.
The Sultans got off to a shaky start to the pursuit as they lost Steve Smith (nine) and Josh Philippe (one) inside the batting powerplay, comprising 3.5 overs, with just 18 runs on the board.
Following the early setbacks, Masood and in-form Sahibzada Farhan (24) put together a cautious 32-run partnership for the third wicket, which culminated with the latter's dismissal off Mustafizur Rahman in the sixth over.
Masood, on the other hand, continued his counter-attack until he too fell victim to Rahman on the third delivery of the 10th over and walked back after scoring an 18-ball 44, comprising seven fours and a six.
Following his dismissal, captain Turner and emerging all-rounder Arafat Minhas (25) knitted a valiant 57-run partnership for the fifth wicket until the latter was dismissed by Sikandar Raza on the fourth delivery of the final over.
Turner, on the other hand, batted until the end and top-scored with an unbeaten 52 off 22 deliveries with the help of five sixes and two fours, but his efforts were insufficient to pull off a miraculous victory for the Sultans, who suffered their first defeat in the ongoing PSL 11.
Rahman was the standout bowler for the Qalandars, taking two wickets for 37 runs in his three overs, while Ubaid Shah, Sikandar Raza and captain Shaheen Shah Afridi chipped in with one scalp apiece.
Naeem was named Player of the Match for his 60 off 28.
In a match that was reduced to 13 overs per side due to a two-hour-long rain hindrance, Sultans captain Ashton Turner won the toss and elected to field first, but the decision backfired as the holders accumulated a humongous total of 185/5, courtesy of their top order.
The home side got off to a flying start to their innings, with their new opening pair of Naeem and Parvez Hossain Emon putting together 86 runs in just five overs.
Debutant pacer Muhammad Ismail, who got off to an unwanted start to his spell as he conceded 26 runs in his first over, gave the Sultans a much-needed breakthrough on the first delivery of the sixth over by cleaning up Emon.
The Bangladesh international walked back after scoring a quickfire 45 off just 19 deliveries, laced with five sixes and two fours.
His dismissal, however, did not dent Qalandars' dominance as Abdullah Shafique and Naeem raised a 58-run partnership at a brisk pace before both perished in successive overs, falling prey to Ismail and Faisal Akram, respectively.
Naeem remained the top-scorer for the Qalandars with a 28-ball 60, studded with four sixes and as many fours, while Shafique struck three fours and two sixes on his way to a 14-ball 33.
Peter Siddle inflicted another blow to the Qalandars' march by cleaning up Rubin Hermann (three) in the penultimate over, but Sikandar Raza (13 not out) hit back-to-back boundaries on the final two deliveries of the innings to ensure a decent finish for the three-time champions.
Debutant Ismail was the pick of the bowlers for the Sultans, taking two wickets for 47 runs in his four overs, while Siddle and Akram could bag one apiece.
