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So, that is it from myself, Karthik Raj and my co-commentator, Bidipto Datta. There is still cricket going on with an ECL match scheduled to start at 12 AM IST! Tomorrow, do join us for a lot more action with two WPL matches, PSL and ECL all lined up. We are never short of cricketing action at Sportskeeda!
Shaheen Shah Afridi (Lahore Qalandars captain): I didn't think it was a lesser total, just believed in the bowling attack. Abdullah Shafique and Sam Billings had a very good partnership and 180 is a big score in T20 cricket. We will try to give all the bench players an opportunity. Thank you to the Lahore crowd!
Rashid Khan. Player of the Match: I just try to keep it simple and don't try too many experiments. Try to do the basics right. I am trying to enjoy whether it is batting, bowling or fielding. I never do such planning for the opposition. I have played enough against these players. Don't try to go deep into the details. I just try to bowl good line and lengths and minimize the loose deliveries. I had spoken with the batsmen. The pitch was pretty hard, not easy. As long as I hit the area, thought I will get a good result.
Time for the Post-match Presentation!
Mohammad Rizwan (Multan Sultans captain): I think we could not bat well again immediately after the power play. In the last game as well, we started well but then lost quite a few wickets. We have to work on that. We bowled far too many wide balls that did not help our cause at all. The decision to send Usama Mir out ahead of the other batters was the whole management's. The idea was to put Rashid Khan off his rhythm with that. Anyway, that did not work out for us tonight.
Zaman Khan: The team environment is great at the moment and it's even better to get this win! I'm enjoying myself amid all these big names in the team. The captain has backed me all the way through and that helps a lot, confidence-wise. When I bowl the final over, I tend to keep it simple and look to hit the yorkers more often than not, keeping the mind unclattered.
What a complete performance from Lahore Qalandars who make it to the play-offs with this 21-run victory! The opening duo of Shan Masood and Mohammad Rizwan got off to a steady start but they let the asking rate rise with every over in the Powerplay. After getting through the Powerplay at 44-0, Zaman Khan sent back Shan Masood with a well-disguised slower ball. Multan Sultans decided to experiment then by sending Usama Mir at No.3 but the pinch-hitter took time to get going.
The pressure increased when Sikandar Raza trapped Mohammad Rizwan in front in the tenth over. Thereafter, Usama got a couple of hits to the fence but Rashid Khan came back to castle him before much damage was done. Rashid started to run riot as he trapped David Miller in front before castling Rilee Rossouw. Multan Sultans slipped to 87-5 and it was never going to be easy to come back from that. Khushdil Shah tried to hit out but Haris Rauf had him hole out at long-off in the 16th over. From there on, the pace duo of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris bowled superbly during the death as Keiron Pollard and Anwar Ali struggled to hit out. With 44 runs to get off the final six balls, Shaheen gave the ball to Hussain Talat and this allowed Pollard to crack a few over the fence but it was obviously too late by then. Talat eventually dismissed Pollard off the penultimate ball as the innings came to a tame end!
20
overs
159/7score
1wd
6
4
1wd
6
W
4
runs
Abbas Afridi*
4(1)
Anwar Ali
17(12)
Hussain Talat
1/22
19.6 Hussain Talat to Abbas Afridi, FOUR RUNS! BUT IT DOES NOT MATTER! LAHORE QALANDARS WIN! Full on middle-and-off. Driven off the front foot over the top of the bower and down to the right of long-off for a boundary! Talat missed his length and Abbas latched on to it. However, this is a comprehensive victory for Shaheen Afridi's team.
Abbas Afridi, RHB, is into the middle
With this maximum, Keiron Pollard reaches 800 sixes in T20 cricket!
19.5 Hussain Talat to Kieron Pollard, OUT! Good length ball outside off. Pollard does not get hold of this big shot over mid-wicket and gets caught in the deep by Rashid Khan safely enough to bring out a new batter to face the last ball!
Keiron Pollard c Rashid Khan b Hussain Talat 39 (28b) (4*2 6*3)
19.4 Hussain Talat to Kieron Pollard, SIX MORE! 800th six in T20 cricket! Full toss on off. Nonchalantly flicked over deep mid-wicket for a maximum here!
19.3 Hussain Talat to Kieron Pollard, full and slow outside off. A big swing and a miss from the crease after getting done for lack of pace!
19.3 Hussain Talat to Kieron Pollard, really short and WIDE over the helmet of the batter! Another extra run given away here!
19.2 Hussain Talat to Kieron Pollard, FOUR RUNS! Good length ball outside off. Slower ball here but this gets smashed down to the right of deep mid-wicket from the back foot for a boundary!
19.1 Hussain Talat to Kieron Pollard, SHOT! Full on off. A flat, hard hit from the crease over wide long-on for six! That was powerfully struck with those long levers!
19.1 Hussain Talat to Kieron Pollard, over the wicket, full and WIDE down the leg-side to begin the over with!
Hussain Talat, right-arm medium, is into the attack
Ten runs off the over. Keiron Pollard with a six off Shaheen in there but Multan would have hoped for him to do that more regularly. 44 runs required off the last over!