Sharjah: Quetta Gladiators clinched a place in the final of the Pakistan Super League through a stunning one-run win over Peshawar Zalmi in the first play-off at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
Though Quetta posted a mammoth 200 for 7 in 20 overs through Ahmad Shezhad’s 71 off 38 balls with seven fours and four sixes and his 90 runs partnership in seven overs with Kevin Pietersen (40), Quetta chased through Mohammad Hafeez’s 77 off 47 balls with five fours and six sixes and his 139 runs partnership with Dawid Malan (56) in 12 overs.
Shahid Afridi also chipped in with 34 runs off just 13 balls with four sixes and one boundary but a deadly final over from Mohammad Nawaz with Peshawar needing only seven runs to win, helped Quetta pull off a nail-biting win.
Peshawar won the toss and elected to field. Quetta opener Luke Wright, playing his first match in the PSL, fell in the third over to Hasan Ali for 12. Trying to play a cut shot , Wright played on to his wicket after a seven ball stay at the wicket.
Kevin Pietersen joined inform opener Ahmad Shehzad. In the sixth over, Pietersen hit a superb six over long on out of the stadium off Wahab Riaz. Pietersen then went on to hit Mohammad Asghar also for two successive sixes, the secondof which was his 200th T20 maximum.
Shehzad hit Shahid Afridi’s first ball for a boundary between point and third man. The second delivery Shehzad hit over long on and the third for a straight six into the crowd. Afridi’s first over cost 19 runs. Shehzad completed his half century in 29 balls.
Skipper Darren Sammy, who bowled the tenth over, was thrashed by Shehzad. He hit the first ball for a six over mid-wicket and the fourth delivery out of the stadium onto the road. With the last ball of the over, Sammy dismissed Shehzad having him caught by Riaz at long off for a superb 71 off 38 balls.
At the half way mark, Quetta were on a commanding 121 for 2. Shehzad and Pietersen put on 90 runs in just seven overs. Pietersen’s knock of 40 off 20 balls with two boundaries and three sixes ended in the 12th over when Riaz had him hitting high to Mohammad Asghar at deep mid-wicket.
Sarfraz Ahmad and Rilee Rossouw steered the score past the 150 run mark in the 15th over. After the onslaught by Pietersen and Shehzad, Afridi bowled a good over giving away just two runs while Mohammad Hafeez, Hasan Ali and Chris Jordan gave away less than eight runs in their overs. In the 17th over Riaz clean bowled Rossouw for 17 to end his 32 runs partnership with Sarfraz in 5.2 overs.
Anwar Ali and Sarfraz added 24 runs in 2.1 overs before Anwar got run out for 20. Sarfraz also got run out to the next ball for 17. In the last over from Riaz, Saad Nazim picked two consecutive boundaries before being bowled off the fifth ball. Next man Hasan Ali, taking a single helped Quetta reach the 200 run mark. It was the third time in this tournament that Quetta posted a total of 200 or above.
Chasing the total, at a run rate of 10 an over, needed a good start from openers Dawid Malan and Kamran Akmal, but Zulfiqar Babar got Akmal out for 1 with the first ball of the second over.
Akmal going for a slog shot, top edged to Pietersen at mid-on. In the same over, next man Marlon Samuels got run out in a terrible mix up.
Mohammad Hafeez picked two boundaries off left-arm spinner Hasan Khan. Babar bowled a tight sixth over giving away just four runs. Mohammad Nawaz got punished by Hafeez for two sixes while Malan too picked a boundary. That brought in the 50 run stand between the pair.
In the tenth over, Hafeez swept Babar for a six. At the end of the 10th over, Peshawar were only 86 for 2 compared to Quetta’s 121 for 2. Malan hit Tymal Mills for two consecutive boundaries in the 11th over.
Hafeez hit Hasan Khan for two successive sixes, the first over long off and the second over extra cover. The third six off the fifth ball was hit over long on. Nineteen runs were hit off that over. Hafeez reached his half century in 36 balls and Malan in just 25 balls.
Mohmmad Nawaz ended the destructive partnership by having Hafeez caught at long off by Saad Nasim for 77. It ended the 139 runs partnership between Hafeez and Malan in 12 overs.
Shahid Afridi walked in and hit Anwar Ali for a boundary and six off successive balls. When 44 runs were needed off the last five overs a well set Malan got caught and bowled by Mills for 56. Afridi hit his second six off Mills over long off into the roof of the stadium. Peshawar lost their fifth wicket when Nawaz clean bowled Haris Sohail for 6. Afridi hit Nawaz for his third six over long off into the crowd.
Twenty runs needed off last 18 balls, Mills bowled a tight 18th over giving away just five runs. That made it 15 runs off 12 balls. Afridi hit Anwar Ali’s third delivery for his fourth six over long on but trying to lift another six got caught by Mohammad Nawaz for 34. His innings off 13 balls contained four sixes and one boundary.
Seven runs needed off the last six balls, Sammy lifted Nawaz over point and it went to the boundary after bouncing off the hands of Mills. Needing two from three balls, Nawaz had Jordan caught behind making it two runs from two balls and next man Wahab Riaz got run out. Two runs off the last ball, Hasan Ali was also run out.
Brief scores
Quetta Gladiators beat Peshawar Zalmi by one run. Quetta Gladiators 200 for 7 in 20 overs (Ahmad Shehzad 71, Kevin Pietersen 40, Anwar Ali 20, Wahab Riaz 3 for 40) Peshawar Zalmi 199 for 9 in 20 overs (Dawid Malan 56, Mohammad Hafeez 77, Shahid Afridi 34, Mohammad Nawaz 3 for 51). Man of the match Ahmad Shehzad.
