It was literally a fiery start to Pakistan Super League (PSL). The PSL opener at Multan Cricket Stadium was delayed after a portion of floodlights caught fire due to fireworks during opening ceremony, reported various media outlets in Pakistan.
The fire did not cause much damage as the fire brigade was able to douse the flame in time. The videos have gone viral on the internet.
The start to the clash between defending champions Lahore Qalandars and Multan Sultans on February 13 was delayed by half an hour. After the situation was under control, the match started at 8:30.
It turned out to be a thrilling encounter between the two. Fakhar Zaman's half-century and cameos from Sikandar Raza and Hussain Talat helped Qalandars post a fighting total of 175/6.
The run chase of 176 got off to a good start with 100-run opening partnership between Shan Masood and skipper Mohammad Rizwan. Towards the end, Qalandars managed to make a comeback after dismissing Rizwan for 50-ball 75 in the 16th over.
Pacers Haris Rauf and Zaman Khan held their nerves and prevented Kieron Pollard from taking the game away. In an electrifying finish, Qalandars won by a narrow margin of one run.
Skipper Shaheen Afridi turned out to be the pick of the bowlers as he got the wicket of Rizwan and conceded just 27 runs from his quota of four overs.
“[We] Got off to a good start. We have many options with the ball - 8 or 9 options. Credit to Zaman for the way he finished it off. Message to the team was that one wicket would bring us back. We didn't field well. [We] Will try to get better,” left-arm pacer Afridi said in the post-match presentation.
This wasn’t the first time PSL games have been affected by an off-field incident. Earlier this month, an exhibition match between Quetta Gladiators and Peshawar Zlami at the Bugti Stadium in Quetta, Balochistan, was briefly halted after an explosion set off by a bomb rocked the Police headquarters and entrance of Quetta Cantonment left many injured.
