Sharjah: Peshawar Zalmi recorded an impressive 44-run victory over Karachi Kings in the 27th match of the Pakistan Super League at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium to remain in contention for the play-offs.
Kamran Akmal helped Peshawar post an impressive total of 181 for six and restricted Karachi to 137 for eight. Karachi failed to lift their game and apart from Babar Azam’s fighting 66 and Shahid Afridi’s quick 26 runs none of the other batsmen rose to the challenge.
Peshawar won the toss and elected to bat and lost opener Mohammad Hafeez for a duck in the second over when he attempted to hit across the line and got clean bowled to a Usman Khan delivery 44 runs in 5.4 overs.
Akmal and Dwayne Smith added 44 runs in the next 5.4 overs. Akmal hit Mohammad Irfan for two sixes in the fifth over while Smith too hit as many off Usam Mir and looked set for a big partnership when Afridi struck. He had Smith caught at long on by Azam for 15 in the eighth over.
At the half way mark, Peshawar scored 58 for two needing some very aggressive batting for a big total.
In the 12th over, Ravi Bopara made Rikki Wessels hit straight to Usman Khan at midwicket for 11.
In the 14th over, Afridi got hit for 14 runs in one over with Akmal hitting him for two successive sixes and his partner Saad Nasim also taking a six off him.
Akmal did not spare Bopara too and hit him for his sixth six of the innings lofting over the bowler’s head.
In the 16th over, Akmal’s fine knock ended when he hit Usman high to Bopara at long off. His knock off 75 came off 51 balls with three boundaries and six sixers.
In came skipper Darren Sammy and hit Mohammad Irfan for three successive sixers in the 17th over and got 28 runs off that over.
Nasim hit for three successive boundaries but Usman ended his innings by bowling him out for 35. Sammy remained unbeaten on 36 off 15 balls with four sixes and two boundaries.
Chasing the score, Karachi lost their consistent opener Joe Denly for a duck when Hasan Ali forced him to hit to Umaid Asif at mid-off. In the fifth over, Wahab Riaz too clean bowled Colin Ingram also for a duck.
Liam Dawson took the price wicket of skipper Eoin Morgan, who hit him straight to Saad Nasim at deep midwicket for five.
The early wickets dipped Karachi’s run flow and in the last 10 overs they needed 130 runs to win. To make things worse, Dawson also had Bopara on seven caught by Mohammad Asghar, who took a diving catch at long off.
Afridi hit Sameen Gul for three towering sixes in the 13th over. Afridi also swung Dawson for his fourth six but fell attempting his fifth six offering a catch at long on for 26. Though Azam went past his half century, the target remained far away. Riaz ended Azam’s knock when he had him caught by Dawson at long on for 66 in the 17th over.
Brief scores:
Peshawar Zalmi bt Karachi Kings by 44 runs. Peshawar 181 for 6 in 20 overs (Kamran Akmal 75, Saad Nasim 35, Darren Sammy 36n.o, Usman Khan 3 for 11) Karachi 137 for 8 in 20 overs (Babar Azam 66, Shahid Afridi 26, Liam Dawson 3 for 17, Wahab Riaz 2 for 26, Umaid Asif 2 for 23).
