Dominant Peshawar Zalmi beat Lahore Qalandars by 17 runs in the 16th match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) second edition at Dubai Cricket Stadium on Friday.
Chasing 167 to win the match, Lahore started brilliantly, courtesy sublime attacking display from opener Cameron Delport, who hit five consecutive boundaries on the bowling of young Mohammad Asghar.
However, Darren Sammy’s men made a great comeback as Qalandars’ lost six wickets for just five runs, which pretty much sealed the game.
Some late order resistance from Sunil Narine, Aamer Yamin, Sohail Tanvir and Yasir Shah made sure Brendon McCullum’s men stayed in the game, but their fight proved not enough as they only managed to score 149 runs for the loss of nine wickets in their allotted 20 overs.
For Peshawar, all-rounders ShakibAl Hasan and Mohammad Hafeez claimed two wickets each.
Earlier, after deciding to bat first, Peshawar managed to score 166 for the loss six wickets in their allotted 20 overs, courtesy opener Kamran Akmal’s stunning half-century.
The 35-year-old scored 58 off just 40 balls with the help of nine fours, and he was well supported by Shakib, who scored 30 off 24 balls.
For Lahore, leg-spinner Yasir claimed two, whereas pacers Tanvir, Yamin and off-spinner Narine picked a wicket each.
Presentation:
Shakibal Hasan (Man of the match): I think it was crucial to score those runs. I wanted to contribute for the team, and this is what I exactly did when I came to bat, and then later when I came to bowl.
Darren Sammy: I thought it’s a crucial game, so I decided to bat first and put runs on the board. We came back brilliantly in when Narine and Yamin was going well. I think everyone contributed really well, first the batsmen and then the bowlers as well.
Brendon McCullum: Yea every time you lose five wickets for not much, you don’t end up on the winning side. But we hung in there, and did not lose by much, so it helped our run rate and we are still in there. It’s going to be a big match against Karachi, and I am sure everyone will be excited for that game tomorrow. – MD
