Irfan, Sangakkara fashion Multan win on PSL debut

ESPNCricinfo: The absence of enough power hitters may have been a concern for Multan Sultans, but they kicked off their campaign with a chase ideally suited to their line-up.

The 152-run target was clinically chased down courtesy a typically composed half-century by Kumar Sangakkara and an unbeaten 42 from the captain Shoaib Malik. Defending champions Peshawar Zalmi didn’t bowl badly, but they simply didn’t have enough runs on a greener, faster strip than is not commonly associated with the UAE. Darren Sammy’s men began shakily, thanks to a brilliant opening spell by Sohail Tanvir, who swung the ball in sharply. He was expertly backed up by Mohammad Irfan.

Irfan’s extra bounce proved particularly troubling for last year’s leading run-scorer Kamran Akmal, who fell for a duck attempting to pull cross the line. A half-century from Mohammad Hafeez kept the innings together, while supporting roles from Dwayne Smith and Haris Sohail helped Zalmi regroup even though their run rate was always a concern. Sammy’s 29 off 11 balls helped them get past 150, but in the end, it was the early sluggishness that they were left to bemoan.

Chief Scores: Multan Sultans 152 for 3 (Sangakkara 57, Malik 42*) beat Peshawar Zalmi 151 for 6 (Hafeez 59, Sammy 29, Irfan 2-19) by seven wickets.