Sharjah: Kamran Akmal carried Peshawar Zalmi into the play-offs of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) through a belligerent century. Cheered on by a packed Friday crowd at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Akmal cracked an unbeaten 107 off 61 balls with 11 boundaries and seven sixes to ensure his team a seven-wicket win over Lahore Qalandars.
It was Akmal’s second successive match-winning performance after his knock of 75 runs against Karachi Kings on Thursday night. Lahore had posted an impressive 172 for 4 in 20 overs through Anton Devcich’s breezy 70 off 42 balls with seven sixes and two boundaries, but his effort went in vain.
It was the highest successful chase in the third edition of the PSL and Peshawar won the match with 12 balls to spare.
Lahore won the toss and elected to bat. Opener Devcich hit Hasan Ali’s last ball of the first over for a six over deep midwicket. In the second over, Devcich also smashed Sameen Gul over midwicket for another six. Ali struck in his third over by taking the price wicket of consistent Fakhar Zaman on 6 by hitting his off stump.
Devcich hit Umaid Asif, too, for a six to midwicket in the fourth over and would have got out to the last ball of the over on 26, but Asif, who ran back to take the catch off a leading edge from his flick, could not hold on to it despite a diving effort.
Brendon McCullum, who began with a six over long on off Gul, fell to Gul’s last ball of the fifth over. Attempting a pull McCullum missed the ball and got clean bowled for 7. Devcich continued his six hitting spree by even scoring a six off Wahab Riaz by flicking over backward square leg. When left-arm spinner Liam Dawson was introduced in the seventh over Devcich also hit him for a six through a slog sweep over midwicket. He also hit him for a boundary through a reverse sweep.
At the half-way mark, Lahore were on 80 for 2. Agha Salman who joined Devcich also slapped Umaid Asif for a six. Devcich reached his second fifty in the 11th over. The pair put on 55 runs in 6.5 overs when Salman fell to Riaz for 28. Devcich hit two successive sixes off Dawson but fell in the 15th over top edging Hasan Ali to Mohammad Hafeez at short fine leg for 70. Sohail Akthar and Gulraiz Sadaf with unbeaten knocks of 26 and 30 runs respectively put on 53 runs in the last 5.1 overs.
Peshawar began their chase through opener Kamran Akmal who hit the third ball of the first over from Devcich for a six over long off but Kyle Abbott struck with the first ball of the second over by forcing Riki Wessels play on to his wicket. Dwayne Smith and Akmal batted smoothly.
Akmal hit Abbott for two successive boundaries while Smith too did the same to Mitchel McClenaghnan. Yasir Shah bowled Smith with a beautiful drifter for 14 and end the 41 run partnership. In the last ten overs, Peshawar needed 92 runs and Mohammad Hafeez hit Shah for a six out of the ground in the 11th over. Akmal reached his half century in style hitting Bilal Asif for a six over long off and next six over deep midwicket and out of the ground. He suffered a cramp in the 14th over but despite limping in pain he hit Abott for his fourth six over backward square leg. Standing in one leg he also hit Shaheen Afridi for his fifth six over midwicket. The pair put on 87 runs in 9.2 over before Hafeez got bowled by Shah for 27. Peshawar needed only 25 more runs from 25 balls by then.
Brief scores:
Peshawar Zalmi bt Lahore Qalandars by 7 wkts. Lahore 172 for 4 in 20 overs (Anton Devcich 70, Agha Salman 28, Gulraiz Sadaf 26n.o, Sohail Akthar 30n.o, Hasan Ali 2 for 24) Peshawar 176 for 3 in 18 overs (Kamran Akmal 107n.o, Mohammad Hafeez 27, Yasir Shah 2 for 40)
