MULTAN: All Multan Sultans needed to get off the mark in this HBL Pakistan Super League season was a homecoming.

In their first match at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Tuesday, Sultans put up a clinical show with Yasir Khan and Ubaid Shah shining with the bat and ball respectively, as they beat Lahore Qalandars by 33 runs for their first win of the season after three losses.

After Yasir’s fireworks led the home team to a mammoth 228-5, Ubaid put up a fiery fast bowling show, striking at crucial points as Qalandars were restricted to 195-9.

Ubaid’s first scalp was none other than that of Fakhar Zaman during the powerplay, in which Lahore managed only 58 runs and also lost Mohammad Naeem, the other opener

Fakhar, after racing to 32 off 14 (two fours and three sixes), fell prey to a brilliant slower ball by Ubaid in the fifth over, with Josh Little waiting under the high ball to take a brilliant catch at square-leg.

Abdullah Shafique and Daryl Mitchell looked to lift Qalandars again lost their wickets in the space of four balls with Michael Bracewell getting the former and Ubaid destroying Mitchell’s stumps with a fast in-swinger as Lahore posted 95-4 at halfway stage.

The incoming Sam Billings started a counterattack of sorts, with a pull for six off Ubaid before creaming Little’s pace for another and two boundaries in the next over, only to see leg-spinner Usama Mir clean up Rishad Hossain at the other end to leave Qalandars reeling at 118-5 by the 12th over.

After Sikandar Raza had hit two boundaries off Willey in the 13th over, Billings welcomed Ubaid back into the attack with two towering sixes straight down the ground in the 15th over, but became the pacer’s third victim miscuing another attempt to go big as the Multan players celebrated wildly.

Usama got Lahore skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi three balls later, as the match virtually slipped out of Lahore’s hands, with a few more lusty blows by Raza (50 off 27, five fours and three sixes) coming too late for the side.

Earlier, Sultans were boosted by a top-order onslaught by Yasir (87 off 44, six fours and as many sixes) and a late attack by Iftikhar Ahmed.

Sultans cruised to 79-0 in the powerplay thanks to Yasir’s explosive show in his first outing this season. Starting off with a flick for six over square-leg off pacer Shaheen, the right-hander went on to plunder Zaman Khan for two three boundaries — two coming off no balls — and another maximum in the fifth over.

Yasir’s opening partner and captain Mohammad Rizwan took on Haris Rauf in the next over for a huge hit over square-leg for six more after dispatching the pacer for two boundaries.

Yasir lifted Haris over mid-on for four more to wrap up the first six overs and brought up his half century in only 28 balls, clubbing leg-spinner Rishad for a beautiful six over midwicket, just a ball before Rizwan (32 off 17, four fours and a six) played Asif Afridi onto his stumps.

Asif’s over, the eighth, saw Multan score only two runs, but the home team got their momentum back as Yasir hit a four and a six off Daryl Mitchell’s medium pace and Asif respectively to take his team to 110-1 at halfway stage.

Usman Khan, who hadn’t taken much time to adjust to the conditions, cultivated a trio of smart strokes to get two boundaries and a six — a superb cut over point — off Haris in the 13th over as Sultans crossed the 150-run mark.

The batter, however, miscued a reverse sweep against Rishad in the next over to get caught by Zaman point after adding 39 off 24 (five fours and a six). Yasir followed suit five balls later, skying a slog-sweep off Raza’s spin, for Abdullah to take a diving catch.

The wickets had already affected Multan’s flow, which the incoming Ashton Turner tried to restore with a six and a four off Rishad in the next over, but became the Bangladesh bowler’s second victim right after.

But from that point on, it was all about Iftikhar. The Pakistan international went deep into his crease to bludgeon Raza for his first six in the 17th over before punishing a wayward Haris for two boundaries and another maximum in the 19th.

Iftikhar went after Shaheen in the last over, dispatching two full tosses by the left-armer for a boundary and a six to take Multan to what proved to be a winning total by miles.

SCOREBOARD

MULTAN SULTANS:

Yasir Khan c Abdullah b Raza 87

Mohammad Rizwan b Asif 32

Usman Khan c Asif b Rishad 39

Ashton Turner c Zaman b Rishad 15

Michael Bracewell c Billings b Shaheen 9

Iftikhar Ahmed not out 40

Kamran Ghulam not out 3

EXTRAS (NB-2, W-1) 3

TOTAL (for five wickets,20 overs) 228

DID NOT BAT: David Willey, Usama Mir, Josh Little, Ubaid Shah

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-89 (Rizwan), 2-159 (Usman), 3-163 (Yasir), 4-179 (Turner), 5-198 (Bracewell)

BOWLING: Shaheen 4-0-43-1 (1w), Asif 4-0-26-1, Zaman 1-0-22-0 (2nb), Haris 3-0-54-0, Rishad 4-0-45-2, Mitchell 2-0-23-0, Raza 2-0-15-1

LAHORE QALANDARS:

Fakhar Zaman c Little b Ubaid 32

Mohammad Naeem c Iftikhar b Bracewell 11

Abdullah Shafique c Usman b Bracewell 18

Daryl Mitchell b Ubaid 19

Sam Billings c Kamran b Ubaid 43

Rishad Hossain b Usama 2

Sikandar Raza not out 50

Shaheen Shah Afridi c Willey b Usama 2

Asif Afridi c Usman b Little 4

Haris Rauf c Yasir b Little 1

Zaman Khan not out 1 EXTRAS (LB-9, NB-1, W-2) 12

TOTAL (for nine wickets, 20 overs) 195

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-38 (Naeem), 2-49 (Fakhar), 3-85 (Abdullah), 4-87 (Mitchell), 5-111 (Rishad), 6-149 (Billings), 7-152 (Shaheen), 8-175 (Asif), 9-191 (Haris)

BOWLING: Willey 4-0-56-1 (1w), Bracewell 3-0-20-2, Ubaid 4-0-37-3 (1nb), Little 4-0-37-1, Iftikhar 1-0-10-0, Usama 4-0-26-2 (1w)

RESULT: Multan Sultans won by 33 runs.

PLAYER-OF-THE-MATCH: Yasir Khan

Published in Dawn, April 23rd, 2025