Multan crowned PSL champions

Led by Mohammad Rizwan, Multan Sultans got their hands on the coveted Pakistan Super League trophy for the first time this season.

In pursuit of 207, Zalmi finished at 159/9 to let the Sultans grab a win by 47 runs.

The Maqsood and Rossouw show

Shan Masood and Mohammad Rizwan did not kick off their innings in the best of fashion.

They got some runs under the belt, but at a comparatively snail-paced strike rate.

After their departure, it was down to in-form Sohaib Maqsood who wanted to justify the national team selectors for picking him for the upcoming white-ball series against England and West Indies.

He has been picked in place of Haider Ali for the away tours.

With a quickfire 65 off 35, Maqsood became only the third man to have scored 400+ runs in this season, just behind his captain Mohammad Rizwan who scored 500 runs.

Riley Rossouw was not holding back either.

The South African belted a 20-ball fifty before one hit too many got him walking back.

His knock helped the Sultans reached 206/4, a humongous total considering the magnitude of the night.

The Malik scares

Shoaib Malik started pretty slow.

He took six balls to open his account and tried to take a few overs to settle in.

Imran Khan got the better of him on one occasion only to call him back since he overstepped the line.

After Malik returned, he took on the bowlers and hit the ball for back-to-back boundaries until Sohail Tanvir deceived him with a sharp, timely and slow bouncer.

Imran Tahir did not miss the chance to hold onto Malik’s catch.

Sameen sizzles on the big night

Sameen Gul was bowling like a veteran on the flat Dubai track, not giving two cents about kind of red-hot form the Multan batters were rejoicing.

The right-arm pacer who impressed the cricket fraternity with his pace and lengths in the under-19 ICC World Cup in 2016 back stood tall again on the big night.

The Zalmi quick fetched two big wickets and conceded only 25 runs.

Mohammad Irfan was the other man who kept the pressure on the opposition with only 27 runs in his quota.

These were great figures when you take a glimpse at the kind of beating other Peshawar bowlers absorbed.

Wahab Riaz and Amad Butt are the two experienced men in the side, but they let themselves down with sub-standard bowling in the final.

They conceded 52 runs apiece without claiming any scalp, allowing the Multan middle-order to reach a big total.

The game-changing over

Shane Rutherford was looking in a golden touch until he met Imran Tahir in the 17th over.

He had two big sixes and seemingly threatened Multan’s title hopes.

But Tahir had other plans.

After sending Rutherford back to the dressing room with an inch-perfect googly, he dismissed Wahab Riaz and Muhammad Imran on a duck.

His three wickets and two runs in the final over of his quota took the game away from Peshawar Zalmi in a jiffy.

Multan Sultans 206 for 4 (Maqsood 65*, Rossouw 50, Gul 2-26) beat Peshawar Zalmi 159/9 (Malik 48, Tahir 3-33) by 47 runs.