KARACHI: Hunain Shah and Mohammad Ali combined to rattle Rawalpindiz batting lineup before Irfan Khan and Kusal Perera took Hyderabad Kingsmen over the line in a nervy chase in the 24th match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11.
Set mere 122, Hyderabad Kingsmen hit the winning runs on the third ball of the 16th over, losing five wickets in the process.
Hyderabad Kingsmen had a similar start to Rawalpindiz, losing the first three wickets inside the powerplay. After an early hiccup, captain Marnus Labuschagne stabilized the innings with a 39-run partnership alongside Kusal Perera.
As a result, the Kingsmen’s scorecard read 68 in nine overs. However, Rawalpindiz came back into the match with quick wickets of Glenn Maxwell and Saad Masood.
Consequently, Hyderabad Kingsmen were in deep trouble with five down for 69, with Irfan Khan and Kusal Perera at the fore.
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The duo not only soaked up the pressure but stitched a match-winning 54* run partnership to take their side home. Irfan made 34 from 29 balls with the aid of a six and three fours, whereas Perera remained unbeaten on 32 off 24 balls, striking a six and three fours.
For Rawalpindiz, Asif Afridi picked up two wickets.
Earlier, Pindiz were restricted to 121-9 in 20 overs courtesy after being put in to bat first.
Rawalpindiz had a poor start, losing three wickets in the first five overs. Glenn Maxwell laid the first blow in the shape of Usman Khawaja’s wicket, who was bowled for two.
The second wicket was off Mohammad Rizwan, who was bowled by Mohammad Ali. The skipper’s poor form continued as he made 15 from 16 balls.
Hyderabad Kingsmen bowlers squeezed runs and took wickets at regular intervals. None of the opposition batters stayed for a long time. Sam Billings top-scored with 26 from 22 deliveries, striking a four and a six.
For Hyderabad Kingsmen, Hunain Shah and Mohammad Ali shared six wickets between them.
Playing XIs
Hyderabad Kingsmen: Maaz Sadaqat, Marnus Labuschagne (c), Usman Khan (wk), Saim Ayub, Kusal Perera, Glenn Maxwell, Irfan Niazi, Hassan Khan, Asif Mehmood, Hunain Shah, and Mohammad Ali.
RawalPindiz: Mohammad Rizwan (c/wk), Usman Khawaja, Yasir Khan, Daryl Mitchell, Sam Billings, Abdullah Fazal, Saad Masood (U), Mubasir Khan, Asif Afridi, Ben Sears, and Mohammad Amir
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