Malan targets scoring huge runs for Multan

By our correspondent
LAHORE: Multan Sultans hard-hitting left-handed English batsman Dawid Milan aims to score as many runs for his franchise in the HBL PSL 9, saying that he is only thinking about winning games for Multan.
“My plan is to score as many runs in the PSL and hopefully to win as many games for my franchise,” Malan told a post-match news conference late Friday night after his franchise lost to Peshawar Zalmi by just five runs in a nail-biter.
Malan scored 52 off 25 balls with his fifty coming off 22 deliveries, his second fifty in the event so far.
“I am not thinking about the T20 World Cup when I am here I am thinking about winning games for Multan and do what is needed for the team. Hopefully I will continue,” Malan said.
After scoring a solid 52 in Multan’s opener against Karachi Kings Malan fell for a duck in the next games against Islamabad United and Lahore Qalandars and he admonishes himself for the poor strokes he played on both occasions.
“I missed out in the last two games, missed two balls which is annoying for myself especially when I was feeling so well. And hopefully I can keep the momentum and score in the next game as well,” said Malan, who has played 22 tests, 30 ODIs and 62 T20I for England.
Malan highlighted various reasons why his team Multan Sultans just fell short of the victory against Zalmi.
“I think we probably had slightly more extras today and I guess one or two misfielding mishaps cost us a few runs in tight game,” Malan said.
“You can say and the same with the bat we probably did not go well as we could have at stages but by tenth and 11th over, we got ourselves back into the game when we were batting and to get that closer decent show has been disappointing as the way Ifti (Iftikhar) has been playing and the way he played in the last game and anything was on the table for us,” Malan said.
Asked about the turning point of the show Malan said that when game gets closer several things can come.
“You can look at so many things, may be the way we got started with the bat you know it’s never easy to go out and trying to score runs and with the intent to win the game,” Malan said.
“Sometimes it happens and sometimes it does not but I don’t think there is one thing necessarily that breaks down and you say that its wrong and that’s why we lost the game. We lost by five runs which is one ball and that’s how close it is,” Malan elaborated.
Malan said that they never got relaxed after winning the first three games on the trot.
“I don’t think we got relaxed at all after winning three matches. I think franchise cricket is unique in the sense that you probably need five or six games to qualify for the playoffs and because teams lose game not intentionally but lose games because the tournament is so strong,” he said.
“There are so many strong teams. You know Peshawar Zalmi have the right to win games of cricket and unfortunately, they played better than yesterday which is disappointing from our side as we had been playing exceptionally good cricket. Hopefully we can rest and come back for the next game and put in good performance as we were one ball away from winning that game,” Malan said.
Malan said having won the initial three games the pressure was on them.
“You are always under pressure to win games for the franchise especially after the start we had with three wins and the pressure always was on us and to keep that momentum going. The teams that come here know they have to play well and when you play against a team that have won three games so. The pressure will probably be on the oppositions coming here and they (Zalmi) handled the pressure probably better than yesterday in that situation as I said we were very close, just one ball away from winning this game,” Malan signed off.
Needing 180 Multan Sultans were folded for 174 by Zalmi.
Off the last over from Naveen-ul-Haq Multan needed 22 runs. Iftikhar hit Afghanistan’s pacer for two fours and as six and off the last two balls Multan required six runs. But Naveen removed Iftikhar off his fifth delivery after the right-hander edged it to keeper Haris who asked for review which turned out to be successful. Off the last ball Naveen clean bowled Shahnawaz Dahani to seal the first win for Zalmi.