Teenage tearaway Ali Raza breathes fire for Peshawar Zalmi in PSL

Dubai: India’s teenage batters turned heads in the Indian Premier League. Pakistan’s reply? A 17-year-old tearaway named Ali Raza, who stormed through Multan Sultans with a spell that might just signal the arrival of the country’s next pace sensation.

While Vaibhav Suryavanshi (14) and Ayush Mhatre (17) stole the show in India, it was Raza who breathed fire for Peshawar Zalmi on Saturday night, claiming four wickets and spearheading a crushing 120-run win in the Pakistan Super League.

On Sunday, Islamabad United captain Shadab Khan showcased his all-round brilliance to extend his team’s unbeaten run in Season 10 — though the defending champions were dealt a blow with news that Australian all-rounder Matthew Short had been ruled out for the rest of the tournament.

Multan were 70 for 2 when Ali Raza ignited the collapse. He dismissed Kamran Ghulam, Michael Bracewell, Ashton Turner and Iftikhar Ahmed in a devastating four-over spell that snuffed out any hopes of a chase.

Raza, who shot to prominence during last year’s ICC T20 World Cup, clocked speeds in the high 140s and bowled toe-crushing yorkers with remarkable consistency. His fiery display during the World Cup drew high praise from Ian Bishop, who described him as “a superstar in the making”.

Electing to bat first, Peshawar Zalmi were rocked early, losing both openers — Saim Ayub and skipper Babar Azam — inside three overs. But the middle order responded in style.

Tom Kohler-Cadmore (52), Mohammad Haris (45), Hussain Talat (37), Mitchell Owen (34) and Abdul Samad (40) piled on the runs, lifting the side to an imposing 227 for 7.

In the second fixture of the weekend, Islamabad United’s skipper Shadab Khan took command — first with the ball, restricting Karachi Kings to 128 for 7, and then with the bat, anchoring the chase with a fluent 47.

Azam Khan added 31 as the defending champions wrapped up a six-wicket win to strengthen their grip at the top of the table with four wins from four.

Despite the result, Islamabad suffered a significant blow when Matthew Short was ruled out of the rest of PSL 10 due to a recurrence of a calf injury sustained during the ICC Champions Trophy earlier this year.

The franchise confirmed the news in a statement ahead of the match against Karachi:

“Islamabad United regret to announce that Australian all-rounder Matt Short has been ruled out of the remainder of the HBL PSL 10 due to a recurrence of the injury he sustained during the Champions Trophy earlier this year.”

Short had shown promising signs of recovery after arriving in Pakistan, but discomfort resurfaced during training. Islamabad’s medical team, in consultation with Cricket Australia, advised immediate withdrawal.

The 28-year-old had injured his calf while fielding and managed a brisk 20 in Australia’s rain-abandoned clash against Afghanistan during the Champions Trophy.

Peshawar Zalmi beat Multan Sultans by 120 runs. Peshawar Zalmi 227 for 7 (Kohler-Cadmore 52, Haris 45, Samad 40; Willey 2-36, Bracewell 2-37, Ubaid 2-40) beat Multan Sultans 107 (Usman 44, Ali Raza 4-21, Yaqoob 3-20, Owen 2-2).

Islamabad United beat Karachi Kings by six wickets. Karachi Kings 128 for 7 (Seifert 30, Abbas 24 not out, Shadab 2-17) Islamabad United 129 for 4 (Shadab 47, Azam 31, Hasan 2-28).