Pakistan discard Sohaib Maqsood notched the highest individual score of this year’s Pakistan Super League to a fighting 19-run victory in the second leg of Pakistan Super League in Dubai on Tuesday.
Maqsood’s 42-ball 85 were laced with seven sixes and four boundaries which led Multan Sultans to improve their own best total in this year’s tournament of 179-5 to 183-3 on a flat Dubai stadium pitch.
Peshawar did try valiantly through Mohammad Hafeez’s 41-ball 56 with five fours and two sixes and Liam Dawson’s 16-ball 32 with three sixes but finished at 164-8 in their 20 overs.
Multan Sultans held their nerves as Sohail Tanvir bowled a superb penultimate over, dismissing Dawson and Hammad Azam in conceding just two runs.
Tanveer finished with 3-14 in his four overs while Mohammad Irfan took 2-32 in his four overs.
Irfan had rocked Peshawar by claiming Kamran Akmal (nine) while Tanvir had Andre Fletcher caught behind for 11. Hafeez added 49 for the fourth wicket with Rikki Wessels who made 22 but asking rate continued to climb as Peshawar needed a big 68 in the last five overs.
Peshawar were depleted by the absence of Bangladeshi pair of Tamim Iqbal and Sabbir Rahman while Khalid Usman was dropped, bringing in Andre Fletcher, Rikki Wessels and Hammad Azam while Multan kept the same team for the fifth match running.
Multan, sent into bat by Peshawar, were bolstered by two steady partnerships between Ahmed Shehzad and Kumar Sangakkara for 51 runs and then another 56 for the second wicket between Shehzad and Maqsood.
Sangakkara hit two sixes and two boundaries in his 24-ball 28 before he was bowled by left-arm spinner Liam Dawson. Shehzad hit three boundaries in his run-a-ball 37 before he and Maqsood ended up at the striker’s end in attempt of a single.
Maqsood completed his half century off just 29 balls, reaching the mark with two sixes and a boundary off Umaid Asif’s over. He then smashed two sixes and a four off Sameen Gul as Multan notched up 121 in the last ten overs.
Peshawar Zalmi pace attack of Gul, Umaid, Hasan Ali and Wahab Riaz conceded 165 runs in 16 overs while the only bright spot was Dawson whose four overs for just 17.
Multan Sultans will again be in action as they meet Quetta Gladiators on Wednesday.
