Mohammed Rizwan helped maintain Multan Sultans’ push for a playoff place in the HBL Pakistan Super League as they beat Peshawar Zalmi on Sunday night.
Last season’s league leaders arrived in the UAE for the resumption of the competition this month well adrift of the sides at the top.
However, the win over Peshawar was their second in a row since the league’s resumption at the Zayed Cricket Stadium last Wednesday.
The fact Rizwan starred was no surprise, given his excellence over the recent past. The Pakistan wicketkeeper hit 82 not out as Multan chased the 167 they needed with ease.
They were two wickets down, and had three-and-a-half overs to spare, when Rizwan hit the winning runs via a six off Mohammed Imran.
The identity of their other matchwinner was perhaps less obvious, although Shahnawaz Dhani is quickly making a name for himself.
The 22-year-old fast-bowler has played just six T20 matches of note in his professional career. All of those have come in this season’s PSL, and he has shone.
His four wickets against Peshawar mean he has taken 13 so far in the competition, and take him to the top of the leading wicket-taker charts.
The results means the race for places in the knockout phase is becoming bunched. Islamabad United and Lahore Qalandars lead the table with 10 points.
Peshawar are third on eight points, but have played one game more than Multan, who are two points behind. Karachi Kings, who are also on six points, have two games in spare on Karachi, the defending champions.
Wahab Riaz, Peshawar’s captain, said his side had missed an opportunity against Multan.
“We didn't execute well, and the bowlers tried too hard,” Wahab said.
“Batting-wise, we were 10-15 short. The dew affected us, but we can't take away anything from Rizwan and [Sohaib] Maqsood [who made 61 in 31 balls for Multan].
“If we bowled better, we could've defended it. Today was just a bad day at the office.”
