Defeat of Lahore Qalandars by Pollard and Cottrell

In this cricket match, Lahore Qalandars played against Multan Sultans, and Qalandars’ coach had spoken earlier in the week about how other teams prioritized power hitters while they went for the best bowlers. However, Sultans demonstrated the value of power hitters lower down the order, with Kieron Pollard and Tim David contributing to their team’s 160 runs despite Qalandars’ strong bowling showing. Sultans then dominated the game, with Sheldon Cottrell taking apart Qalandars’ batting line-up and leaving them with a low score of 76, the third-lowest in PSL history. This loss means Qalandars will drop down into Friday’s eliminator, while Sultans secure their place in the PSL final for the third consecutive season, the first team to achieve this feat.

Chasing down a total against Qalandars’ bowling line-up was a daunting challenge in the PSL, and Sultans were aware of this. They batted first for the first time this season and just the fifth time in their history, winning the toss and making a wise decision. However, Qalandars’ strong bowling display stifled Sultans for much of the first innings. Sultans managed only 46 in the powerplay, and Qalandars, although not having picked up any wickets, seemed to have a grip on the game.

Haris Rauf got the first breakthrough, and Zaman Khan followed by dismissing Rilee Rossouw cheaply. Rashid Khan’s dismissal of Mohammad Rizwan left Sultans at 90 for three, but Qalandars continued to maintain their hold over the game. Pollard’s sensational lower-order counterattack powered Sultans’ total to a defensible level, with three sixes off Shaheen in the penultimate over. Haris’ final six balls resulted in a double-strike, cleaning up Pollard and Khushdil Shah.

Cottrell, newly arrived at the PSL, then wrenched the game out of Qalandars’ hands, putting paid to both Mirza Baig and Abdullah Shafique in his second over, while Anwar Ali knocked back the top of Fakhar Zaman’s off stump. Cottrell returned to dismiss Shaheen with a wild swing, and Pollard saw two wickets fall in his first over. Qalandars’ chase was over, and their thoughts had already turned to Friday’s eliminator. Sultans secured a victory, thrashing the team that had beaten them in last year’s PSL final, and taking a step towards avoiding that outcome again.

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