Sangakkara, Malik hand Sultans victory in PSL3 opener

New entrants secure seven-wicket win over defending champions

Kumar Sangakkaa and Shoaib Malik’s responsible knock helped Multan Sultans beat defending champions Peshawar Zalmi in the first match of the third edition of the Pakistan Super League in Dubai on Thursday.



After opting to bowl first, Sultans produced an impressive show with the bowl to restrict Darren Sammy-led Zalmi to just 151 for the loss of six wickets in their allotted 20 overs.

Mohammad Hafeez finished as the top scorer for Zalmi with 59 off 52 with the help of six fours and one six.

For Sultans, tall left-arm pacer Mohammad Irfan was the star of the show as he claimed two wickets and just gave away 19 runs.

In chase of 152, Sultans suffered an early blow as opener Ahmad Shahzad departed without scoring.

However, Sangakkara stabilized the innings, first with Sohaib Maqsood and then with captain Malik to make sure there were no hurdles for the new entrants as Sultans cruised to the victory with five balls to spare.

Sangakkara finished the innings with the top score of 57 off 51 balls with the help of three fours and two sixes, whereas Malik scored an unbeaten 42 off 30 balls with the help of two fours and two sixes.

For Zalmi, pacer Wahab Riaz was the most successful bowler on the night as he claimed two wickets.

For his outstanding batting performances, Sangakkara was named player of the match.

 





MS 152-3 (19.1 overs)

SIX! And that's it. Sultans have registered their first victory of the tournament.

Hammad Azam to start his final over.



MS 146-3 (19 overs)

Nine off the over.

FOUR! Pollard with another majestic boundary for Sultans. https://t.co/d2vULwPQ9M #PSL18 pic.twitter.com/RcpYxH9FL1

— Tribune Sports (@ETribuneSports) February 22, 2018

Jordan to bowl his final over.



MS 137-3 (18 overs)

Eleven off the over. Great one for Sultans.

FOUR! Another important for Sultans from the bat of Pollard. https://t.co/d2vULwPQ9M #PSL18 pic.twitter.com/YBrxUKx2OB

— Tribune Sports (@ETribuneSports) February 22, 2018

Wahab Riaz to start his final over.



MS 126-3 (17 overs)

Twelve off the over. Great one for Sultans.

FOUR! Once again, easy picking for Pollard. @MultanSultans need 26 off 18. https://t.co/d2vULwPQ9M #PSL18 pic.twitter.com/KHP6hofdcp

— Tribune Sports (@ETribuneSports) February 22, 2018

FOUR! Wrong line and wrong length. Easy picking for Pollard. https://t.co/d2vULwPQ9M #PSL18 pic.twitter.com/buoDjya7Vf

— Tribune Sports (@ETribuneSports) February 22, 2018

Chris Jordan to start his new over.



MS 114-3 (16 overs)

Eight off the over.

FOUR! Short, wide and Malik cuts one for a much-needed boundary for Sultans. https://t.co/d2vULwPQ9M #PSL18 pic.twitter.com/54CYuockgz

— Tribune Sports (@ETribuneSports) February 22, 2018

Hammad Azam to start his third over.



MS 106-3 (15 overs)

Just two runs and a wicket off the over.

OUT! Big one for Zalmi as Wahab gets Sangakkara's wicket. MS 106-3 https://t.co/d2vULwPQ9M #PSL18 pic.twitter.com/SGFNmT8y80

— Tribune Sports (@ETribuneSports) February 22, 2018

Wahab Riaz to start his new over.



MS 104-2 (14 overs)

Twelve off the over. Great one for Sultans.

SIX! What a way to complete his half-century. Top innings from a top cricketer. https://t.co/d2vULwPQ9M #PSL18 pic.twitter.com/27ShZQuzGM

— Tribune Sports (@ETribuneSports) February 22, 2018

FOUR! Short and @realshoaibmalik guides it for another boundary https://t.co/d2vULwPQ9M #PSL18 pic.twitter.com/BA8UptdsnB

— Tribune Sports (@ETribuneSports) February 22, 2018

Darren Sammy to start his new over.



MS 92-2 (13 overs)

Fourteen off the over.

FOUR! Flighted and Sangakkara hits one down the ground for another boundary https://t.co/d2vULwPQ9M #PSL18 pic.twitter.com/Sza5ZSl76I

— Tribune Sports (@ETribuneSports) February 22, 2018

SIX! Malik showing his class against a youngster. A much needed six for the @MultanSultans . https://t.co/d2vULwPQ9M #PSL18 pic.twitter.com/fLj5eJH0mC

— Tribune Sports (@ETribuneSports) February 22, 2018

Ibtisam to start his new over.



MS 78-2 (12 overs)

Five off the over.

Asghar to continue.



MS 73-2 (11 overs)

Five off the over.

Hammad Azam to start his new over.



MS 68-2 (10 overs)

Eleven off the over. Good one for Sultans.

SIX! Sangakkara showed his class with a brilliant six. https://t.co/d2vULwPQ9M #PSL18 pic.twitter.com/Om485iKiv7

— Tribune Sports (@ETribuneSports) February 22, 2018

Ibtisam to continue.



MS 57-2 (9 overs)

Just three and a wicket off the over.

OUT! And @sohaibcricketer once again lived up the expectations and threw his wicket away after getting set. Sultans 54-2 https://t.co/d2vULwPQ9M #PSL18 pic.twitter.com/2NU47t5V4D

— Tribune Sports (@ETribuneSports) February 22, 2018

Asghar to start his new over.



MS 54-1 (8 overs)

Just six off the over.

Young Ibtisam Sheikh to start his first over.



MS 48-1 (7 overs)

Five off the over.

Asghar to continue.



MS 43-1 (6 overs)

Fifteen off the over. Great one for Sultans.

FOUR! Maqsood hits another boundary. Poor bowling from Hammad Azam. https://t.co/d2vULwPQ9M #PSL18 pic.twitter.com/gnFDJOdSn3

— Tribune Sports (@ETribuneSports) February 22, 2018

FOUR! Lucky but Maqsood will take it. Another boundary for him. https://t.co/d2vULwPQ9M #PSL18 pic.twitter.com/RSIe1PRDwm

— Tribune Sports (@ETribuneSports) February 22, 2018

SIX! THAT WAS HUGE from @sohaibcricketer . Brilliant strike. https://t.co/d2vULwPQ9M #PSL18 pic.twitter.com/w15JqTyDr8

— Tribune Sports (@ETribuneSports) February 22, 2018

Hammad Azam to start his first over.



MS 28-1 (5 overs)

Five off the over.

FOUR! @sohaibcricketer finally gets off the mark, and that too with a boundary https://t.co/d2vULwPQ9M #PSL18 pic.twitter.com/VnjWRgcXlL

— Tribune Sports (@ETribuneSports) February 22, 2018

Mohammad Asghar to start his first over.



MS 23-1 (4 overs)

Six off the over.

FOUR! Another class shot from Sangakkara. He is on fire. https://t.co/d2vULwPQ9M #PSL18 pic.twitter.com/SJAAfT05na

— Tribune Sports (@ETribuneSports) February 22, 2018

Riaz to continue.



MS 17-1 (3 overs)

Nine off the over.

FOUR! Short, wide and Sangakkara cuts it for his first boundary of the day https://t.co/d2vULwPQ9M #PSL18 pic.twitter.com/JF7kYN57cU

— Tribune Sports (@ETribuneSports) February 22, 2018

FOUR! First boundary for @MultanSultans comes from leg bye. https://t.co/d2vULwPQ9M #PSL18 pic.twitter.com/iDhgagr85n

— Tribune Sports (@ETribuneSports) February 22, 2018

Jordan to continue.



MS 8-1 (2 overs)

Just two runs and a wicket off the over.

OUT! That's local Mitchell Johnson for you. @WahabViki gets a big one for Zalmi as @iamAhmadshahzad departs after scoring just six https://t.co/d2vULwPQ9M #PSL18 pic.twitter.com/Tvo0fLEnlR

— Tribune Sports (@ETribuneSports) February 22, 2018

Wahab Riaz to start his first over.



MS 6-0 (1 over)

Six runs off the over.



So its Ahmad Shahzad and Kumar Sangakkara to open Sultans, whereas English pacer Chris Jordan will begin for Zalmi.



So that's it from the from the first half. We will join you soon for the second part of the tournament.



PZ 151-6 (20 overs)

Six runs and a wicket off the over.

OUT! Finally some thing for @sohailmalik614 to cheer about. Sammy departs after stunning knock of 29 off just 11. https://t.co/d2vULwPQ9M #PSL18 pic.twitter.com/WaRoPZv38a

— Tribune Sports (@ETribuneSports) February 22, 2018

FOUR! Short and Sammy hits another boundary for his team. https://t.co/d2vULwPQ9M #PSL18 pic.twitter.com/DyO3MIppSR

— Tribune Sports (@ETribuneSports) February 22, 2018

Tanvir to start his final over.



PZ 143-5 (19 overs)

Fifteen runs and a wicket off the over.

FOUR! Full and wide, and Sammy hits another boundary. Zalmi now targeting 160. https://t.co/d2vULwPQ9M #PSL18 pic.twitter.com/SYFhcYRugp

— Tribune Sports (@ETribuneSports) February 22, 2018

SIX! Sammy gets a juicy full toss and hits one in to the stands. https://t.co/d2vULwPQ9M #PSL18 pic.twitter.com/twV2qMch43

— Tribune Sports (@ETribuneSports) February 22, 2018

OUT! Junaid gets a big one as in-form @MHafeez22 departs after scoring 59. https://t.co/d2vULwPQ9M #PSL18 pic.twitter.com/2I0cnC9NoB

— Tribune Sports (@ETribuneSports) February 22, 2018

FOUR! Another brilliant shot from @MHafeez22 . https://t.co/d2vULwPQ9M #PSL18 pic.twitter.com/KmYZnNRyDO

— Tribune Sports (@ETribuneSports) February 22, 2018

Junaid to start his final over.



PZ 128-4 (18 overs)

Twenty one off the over. Great one for Zalmi.

SIX! Crisp and straight. Brilliant from Sammy. https://t.co/d2vULwPQ9M #PSL18 pic.twitter.com/jUr83uGNO1

— Tribune Sports (@ETribuneSports) February 22, 2018

SIX! @sohailmalik614 must be thinking how that went for six, but Darren Sammy will take it. https://t.co/d2vULwPQ9M #PSL18

— Tribune Sports (@ETribuneSports) February 22, 2018

FOUR! Short, wide and Hafeez guides it for another boundary. https://t.co/d2vULwPQ9M #PSL18 pic.twitter.com/CTMxwgZ2IU

— Tribune Sports (@ETribuneSports) February 22, 2018

FOUR! What a way to bring up you half-century. Top innings from the @MHafeez22 https://t.co/d2vULwPQ9M #PSL18 pic.twitter.com/rAtWHRXtND

— Tribune Sports (@ETribuneSports) February 22, 2018

Tanvir to start his new over.



PZ 107-4 (17 overs)

Just five off the over.

Tahir to start his final over.



PZ 102-4 (16 overs)

Just two runs and a wicket off the over. Great one for Sultans.

OUT! Vilijeon gets his first wicket of the PSL as Haris Sohail departs after scoring 14. https://t.co/d2vULwPQ9M #PSL18 pic.twitter.com/rzMmV5HdE5

— Tribune Sports (@ETribuneSports) February 22, 2018

Viljoen to start his final over.



PZ 100-3 (15 overs)

Seven off the over.

100-up for Zalmi in the 15th over https://t.co/d2vULwPQ9M #PSL18 pic.twitter.com/vUps52KndL

— Tribune Sports (@ETribuneSports) February 22, 2018

FOUR! Hafeez comes down the track and hits another important boundary for the team. https://t.co/d2vULwPQ9M #PSL18 pic.twitter.com/x9IDaJ0ske

— Tribune Sports (@ETribuneSports) February 22, 2018

Junaid to start his new over.


PZ 93-3 (14 overs)

Just six off the over.

Irfan to start his final over.



PZ 87-3 (13 overs)

Ten off the over.

FOUR! Class from @MHafeez22 . Another important boundary for Zalmi. pic.twitter.com/yTbY3OEWlC

— Tribune Sports (@ETribuneSports) February 22, 2018

Viljoen to start his new over.



PZ 77-3 (12 overs)

15 off the over. Great one for Zalmi.

FOUR! Lucky but valuable boundary for Hafeez and Zalmi. https://t.co/d2vULwPQ9M #PSL18 pic.twitter.com/Xsc1UyIvmz

— Tribune Sports (@ETribuneSports) February 22, 2018

SIX! JUST WOW from Haris Sohail. Class shot down the crowd for a maximum. https://t.co/pgExa7iUvx #PSL18

— Tribune Sports (@ETribuneSports) February 22, 2018

Tahir to start his new over.



PZ 62-3 (11 overs)

Five off the over.

Viljoen to start his new over.



PZ 57-3 (10 overs)

Seven runs and a wicket off the over.

OUT! Imran Tahir gets his first wicket in the PSL, as Smith departs after scoring 24 off 23. PZ 57-3 https://t.co/d2vULwPQ9M #PSL18 pic.twitter.com/PRqlRSD662

— Tribune Sports (@ETribuneSports) February 22, 2018

SIX! @MHafeez22 comes down the track and hits one out of the park for a maximum. TOP SHOT. https://t.co/d2vULwPQ9M #PSL18 pic.twitter.com/jWXGdBHMzm

— Tribune Sports (@ETribuneSports) February 22, 2018

Tahir to start his first over.



PZ 50-2 (9 overs)

Seven off the over.

FOUR! Short and Smith hits another boundary for Zalmi. https://t.co/d2vULwPQ9M #PSL18 pic.twitter.com/ag0e3OEOIL

— Tribune Sports (@ETribuneSports) February 22, 2018

Hardus Viljoen to start his first over.



PZ 43-2 (8 overs)

Ten off the over. Great one for Zalmi.

SIX! Smith hits first six of PSL3 on the bowling of Imran Tahir. TOP SHOT. https://t.co/d2vULwPQ9M #PSL18 pic.twitter.com/PSr4Iw2osH

— Tribune Sports (@ETribuneSports) February 22, 2018

Imran Tahir to start his first over.



PZ 33-2 (7 overs)

Four off the over.

Junaid to continue.



PZ 29-2 (6 overs)

Just three off the over.

Irfan to start his new over.



PZ 26-2 (5 overs)

Just four off the over.

FOUR! Welcome Junaid Khan to PSL3 from Smith. Top shot down the ground. https://t.co/d2vULwPQ9M #PSL18 pic.twitter.com/R44V2jSqqe

— Tribune Sports (@ETribuneSports) February 22, 2018

Junaid Khan to start his first over.



PZ 22-2 (4 overs)

Eight runs and a wicket off the over.

OUT! WHAT A CATCH from @JunaidkhanREAL . @MultanSultans gets a big one as Tamim Iqbal departs after scoring run-a-ball 11. Zalmi 22-2 https://t.co/d2vULwPQ9M #PSL18 pic.twitter.com/MZX5b7c8oO

— Tribune Sports (@ETribuneSports) February 22, 2018

FOURx2! Tamim setting the night alive with two glorious back-to-back boundaries. Top stuff. https://t.co/d2vULwPQ9M #PSL18 pic.twitter.com/QPSvBYPg6e

— Tribune Sports (@ETribuneSports) February 22, 2018

Irfan to start his new over.



PZ 14-1 (3 overs)

Ten off the over.

FOUR! Lucky boundary for Smith and Zalmi. https://t.co/d2vULwPQ9M #PSL18 pic.twitter.com/v3XU6fMoyB

— Tribune Sports (@ETribuneSports) February 22, 2018

FOUR! First boundary of the tournament from the bat of Dwayne Smith https://t.co/d2vULwPQ9M #PSL18 pic.twitter.com/8dXLOTZIc5

— Tribune Sports (@ETribuneSports) February 22, 2018

Tanvir to start his new over.



PZ 4-1 (2 overs)

Just three runs and a wicket off the over.

OUT! First one for @MultanSultans as @KamiAkmal23 departs without scoring. Zalmi 4-1 https://t.co/d2vULwPQ9M pic.twitter.com/TpzyPZC3LK

— Tribune Sports (@ETribuneSports) February 22, 2018

Mohammad Irfan to start his first over.



PZ 1-0 (1 over)

Just one off the first over. Great start for Sultans.


Its Sohail Tanvir to start for the Multan Sultans, whereas Tamim Iqbal and Kamran Akmal to open for Peshawar Zalmi.



Toss: The news from the centre is that Multan Sultans won the toss and opted to bowl first.