NUT Desk – KARACHI: Peshawar Zalmi were left heartbroken for the third time in four seasons as Multan Sultans outclassed them by 47 runs in the final to clinch their maiden HBL Pakistan Super League(PSL 2021) crown at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.
Chasing a record target of 207 in a decider, Peshawar Zalmi reply never got going as a daunting asking rate of over 10 runs an over proved too much for them.
Their hopes vanished quite early in the last of Powe play overs when towering pace bowler Blessing Muzarabani dismissed Hazratullah Zazai for just six. Muzarabani was clever enough to change his pace and the slower ball was cut by Zazai towards Shan Masood at short point.
The demise of the Afghan left-hander, who had beenin red-hot form, struck Peshawar like lightning and there was no comeback af ter that.
Earlier Multan Sultans had rattled up 206-4 on the back of blistering half-centuries from Sohaib Maqsood and Rilee Rossouw.
The joy on the faces of Multan Sultans players was obvious because it became a virtual one-way traffic for Mohammad Rizwan`s charges while Peshawar limped to their third successive defeat in a final the 2017 title winners were humbled by Islamabad United and Quetta Gladiators in 2018 and 2019 respectively.
The wily former South African spinner Imran Tahir drove the last nail in Peshawar Zalmi coffin by picking three wickets in his last over to finish with 3-33. The only semblance of fight came from Shoaib Malik, who waged a lone battle by striking 48 off 28 balls (three sixes and three fours). He shared the only substantial partnership of the innings 66 in 30 balls with Rovman Powell (23).
Multan Sultans put up a scintillating exhibition of power hitting coupled with deft touches, through Sohaib and Rossouw to comfortably cross the magical 200 mark. The third-wicket partnership of 98 in just 44 balls between them left Peshawar Zalmi in a daze as the rampant Multan Sultans batting plundered 116 runs from the last eight overs, thanks to sizzling strokes from Sohaib and Rossouw.
