Sharjah: Peshawar Zalmi stopped Karachi Kings in a nail-biting thriller by three runs in the 10th match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
Karachi, needing 12 runs off the last over, fell short of Peshawar’s total of 182 for 4 in 20 overs after Darren Sammy bowled a superb super final over. Ravi Bopara’s stupendous fighting knock of 67 off 33 balls with five boundaries and four sixes went in vain. James Vince (44) and Bopara, through a 61 runs partnership from 5.4 overs for the sixth wicket, brought Karachi to the brink of victory. Sohail Tanvir too hit 23 off 17 balls with two boundaries and two sixes.
Peshwar, after winning the toss, elected to bat. Openers Tamil Iqbal and Mohammad Hafeez put on 93 runs in 10.3 overs. Hafeez dominated the batting by starting off with a boundary off Mohammad Amir in the first over and following it up with three boundaries in the second over from Imad Wasim. When spinner Shakib Al Hasan was introduced, Hafeez hit him for a straight six. He also hit Shakib over the covers for a six in the seventh over and raced to his half-century in 29 balls with seven boundaries and two sixes.
Hafeez fell in the 11th over, trapped leg before by Ravi Bopara while going for a sweep for 59. Kamran Akmal, who joined Iqbal, played fluently and steered the team past the 100-run mark in the 12th over. Bopara also dismissed Iqbal by forcing him to loft to Lendl Simmons at long off for 37.
Akmal began to open up and hit Usama Mir over long on for a six by coming down the track. Amir ended Akmal’s knock of 30 by having him caught at cover by Vince.
Skipper Shahid Afridi, as usual, was cheered all the way by the fans to the crease. He flicked Tanvir for a boundary. Dawid Malan fell to Tanvir for 12 and that brought two of the greatest hitters, Afridi and Darren Sammy together. They hit 29 runs in the last 2.2 overs. Sammy hitting two sixes in the last over from Tanvir to remain unbeaten on 18 with Afridi unconquered on 17.
Chasing the total, Lendl Simmons and Nauman Anwar scored 26 runs in 4.1 overs before Simmons was bowled by Wahab Riaz for 9. In the sixth over, Anwar too followed, run out off a direct hit from Shahid Yousuf at third man for 14. In the same over, Imad Wasim too got run out for a duck to a throw from Mohammad Asghar. In the eighth over, Asghar took the prized wicket of Shoaib Malek by having him caught by Sammy at long-on for 8. Afridi dismissed Shakib with a googly that took the outside edge to third man for 1. From there on it was Bopara’s show.
Brief scores: Peshwar Zalmi bt Karachi Kings by three runs. Peshawar 182 for 4 in 20 overs (Tamim Iqbal 37, Mohammad Hafeez 59, Kamran Akmal 30, Ravi Bopara 2 for 31) Karachi Kings 179 for 9 in 20 overs (James Vince 44, Ravi Bopara 67, Sohail Tanvir 23, Wahab Riaz 29). Man of the match: Mohammmad Hafeez
Today’s matches (Friday)
3pm: Karachi Kings vs Lahore Qalandars
8pm: Islamabad United vs Peshawar Zalmi
