Mohammad Naeem’s aggressive half-century led defending champions Lahore Qalandars to a 20-run victory over Multan Sultans in a rain-reduced Pakistan Super League (PSL11) match at Gaddafi Stadium.
Chasing a challenging target of 186 in just 13 overs, Multan Sultans finished at 165-5 despite strong efforts from Shan Masood and captain Ashton Turner.
The Sultans had a poor start, losing Steve Smith (9) and Josh Philippe (1) early in the powerplay, with only 18 runs on the board after 3.5 overs. Shan Masood and Sahibzada Farhan (24) tried to stabilize the innings with a 32-run partnership, but Farhan was dismissed by Mustafizur Rahman in the sixth over.
Masood continued to attack and scored 44 off 18 balls, hitting seven fours and a six, before falling to Rahman in the 10th over. After his dismissal, Ashton Turner and Arafat Minhas (25) added 57 runs for the fifth wicket. Minhas was dismissed in the final over by Sikandar Raza.
Turner remained unbeaten with a quick 52 off 22 balls, including five sixes and two fours, but his effort was not enough to secure a win. This was Multan’s first defeat in PSL 11.
Mustafizur Rahman was the standout bowler for Lahore, taking 2 wickets for 37 runs in three overs. Ubaid Shah, Sikandar Raza, and captain Shaheen Shah Afridi each took one wicket.
Earlier, in a match shortened to 13 overs per side due to rain, Multan captain Ashton Turner won the toss and chose to field first. However, Lahore Qalandars posted a strong total of 185-5.
Lahore got off to a fast start as openers Mohammad Naeem and Parvez Hossain Emon added 86 runs in just five overs. Debutant pacer Muhammad Ismail dismissed Emon on the first ball of the sixth over. Emon scored 45 off 19 balls, including five sixes and two fours.
Naeem and Abdullah Shafique then built a quick 58-run partnership before both were dismissed in consecutive overs by Ismail and Faisal Akram. Naeem was the top scorer with 60 off 28 balls, hitting four sixes and four fours. Shafique added 33 off 14 balls, with three fours and two sixes.
Peter Siddle dismissed Rubin Hermann (3) in the second-last over, but Sikandar Raza (13 not out) finished the innings strongly with back-to-back boundaries.
Muhammad Ismail was the best bowler for Multan, taking 2 wickets for 47 runs in four overs. Siddle and Faisal Akram took one wicket each.
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