Sultans continue winning streak by defeating Qalandars

DUBAI: Multan Sultans maintained their undefeated  streak by winning  against Lahore Qalandars in the third Twenty20 match of PSL-3 at the Dubai International Stadium on Friday.

After making debut in this season of PSL as the sixth franchise Multan Sultans have won the second consecutive match.

Sultans set a daunting target of 180 runs for Lahore Qalandars as  Kumar Sangakkara and Ahmed Shehzad provided a solid start of 88 runs in ten overs before Shehzad (38) departed. While Junaid Khan and Imran Tahir restricted the Lahore Qalandars to 136 to   help  their team win by 43 runs.

Imran Tahir  supported  Multan with  few magnificent deliveries when Lahore inched ahead, requiring 48 in the last five overs with six wickets in hand. Within five balls, he dismissed Sohail Akhtar, and Aamer Yamin.

Earlier, Karachi Kings defeated Quetta Gladiators by 19 runs in the first match of the day as the Gladiators could make 130 runs for nine wickets.

After Sohaib Maqsood's early exit, Sangakkara was joined by his captain Shoaib Malik as both took the score to 147, adding 54 for the third wicket before Sangakkara was dismissed after hitting his second consecutive fifty in the event .

He top scored with a 44-ball 63, which included three sixes and five fours.

Malik was the last man to go as he was run out for 48. He smashed three towering sixes and two boundaries as he faced just 28 balls.

For the Qalandars, Mustafizur Rahman claimed two wickets for 22 and Yasir Shah took one wicket.

Multan Sultans, who are participating for the first time in the PSL, made an upset, defeating defending champions Peshawar Zalmi by seven wickets in the opening match played Thursday night at the same venue.