KARACHI: Multan Sultans captain Ashton Turner on Monday insisted that the 2021 champions will “pause and reflect” after their 24-run loss to leaders Peshawar Zalmi in match 22 of Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 at the National Bank Stadium.
Batting first, Zalmi amassed 196/6 in 20 overs, buoyed by a superb half-century from Gusal Mendis and a quick spell from Mohamed Harris.
Mendis scored 68 off 40 balls with 6 fours and 3 sixes while Haris scored 38 off 17 balls with 4 fours and 3 sixes.
Apart from them, youngster Farhan Yousaf helped Zalmi’s total with a 22-ball 30 with 3 fours.
For Sultans, Muhammad Ismail and Peter Siddle took 2 wickets each, while Muhammad Nawaz and Muhammad Wasim Jr. took one wicket each.
Chasing a tough target of 197 runs, Sultans could only manage 172/8 in their 20 overs, suffering their second defeat in the ongoing PSL 11.
Vice-captain Shaun Masood top-scored for Sultans with 35 off 19 balls, while Josh Phillippe and Steve Smith scored 32 and 31 respectively.
Sufyan Mukeem sparked Zalmi’s bowling with 3 for 30 from his four overs, while Iftikhar Ahmed and Nahid Rana claimed two wickets each, while Amy Jamal chipped in with a scalp.
Reflecting on the result of the recently-concluded match, Sultans captain Turner insisted they were nowhere near matching Zalmi’s total of 196/6, insisting the defeat came at a “huge point”.
“It’s not far, maybe a couple of runs more than we expected, but we can always win. I think it’s a good point at the end of the match where we can pause and reflect,” Turner said in the post-match presentation.
“We’ve been challenged tonight and we’ll learn from it. They’re clearly one of the best teams in the competition, but I won’t let that overshadow the good cricket we’ve been playing so far this campaign,” he added.
When asked if the Sultans’ bowling attack needed some tweaking, Turner argued that the 2021 champions are flexible enough and often give the captain a headache before confirming they are getting close to identifying the right line-up.
“We’re still trying to play roles for each of our bowlers. We have some flexibility because three guys in the top seven can bowl, which allows us to play more specialist,” Turner said.
“At times, having too many options gives the captain a bit of a headache. We are clearly trying to find a recipe for success with the ball, but we feel we are getting closer with every game. Fair play to them; they played some good cricket shots tonight and did well in both areas,” he added.
The Sultans captain backed his side to be capable of challenging the top teams as he insisted they have “plenty of games” to prove their mettle.
“I don’t think we are far away from competing with the best teams and we expect our best cricket to come as we have a lot of games to go,” he concluded.