Afridi stars as Lahore Qalandars retain PSL title

PESHAWAR (Pajhwok):  Lahore Qalandars have retained the Pakistan Super League title by edging past Multan Sultans in a final that literally went to the wire.

The Shaheen Afridi-led side snatched a one-run win over a resilient opposition at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Saturday.

Known for his nasty fast bowling and unplayable yorkers, Afridi muscled an unbeaten 44 off 15 balls before claiming four scalps to see his side to a thrilling triumph.

Set a target of 201, Multan Sultans needed 13 runs in the final over, but Zaman Khan held his nerve and bowled intelligently. Requiring a boundary off the last ball, Multan could score only two.

In the last five overs, Multan Sultans needed 60 with seven wickets in hand. Afridi dismissed Kieron Pollard in the 16th over that yielded 11 runs.

In the next over, Haris Rauf conceded only eight. In one of the best death overs, the Lahore skipper bagged three crucial wickets to make matters worse for the rivals.

Undeterred by mounting woes, Khushdil Shah and Abbas Afridi put Multan back in command in the penultimate over by punching 22 runs. Their fireworks, however, ended up in smoke as Multan fell one run short of the target.

Rilee Rossouw’s 32-ball 52, including seven fours and two sixes, was an outstanding contribution. He and Mohammad Rizwan forged a 64-run second wicket partnership.

But Rashid Khan claimed two wickets in as many overs to impede Multan’s run chase. For the batters, the chips were down with the departure of Rossouw in the 11th over and Rizwan in the 13th.

Other major run-scorers for Lahore were Abdullah Shafique (65), Fakhar Zaman (39) and Mirza Tahir Baig (30)

For Multan Sultans, Rossouw chipped in with 52, Rizwan with 34, Khushdil Shah with 25 and Tim David with 20.

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