LAHORE: Peshawar Zalmi hung on for a Super Over victory over Lahore Qalandars in a dramatic finish to the last group match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 7, here at Gaddafi Stadium.
Zalmi’s skipper Wahab Riaz led from the front and kept his nerve calm to bowl a magnificent super over. The left-arm pacer conceded only five runs and set Zalmi to chase a paltry total.
Later, Shoaib Malik smashed two consecutive boundaries on the first two balls of Shaheen Shah Afridi and took his side over the line comfortably in the end.
Earlier in the run chase, the Qalandars finished exactly at 158 in the allotted 20 overs, thanks to their skipper Shaheen, who scored a much-needed 39 runs off 20 balls, down the order to save the match for his side.
The left-handed batter smashed two boundaries and four sixes in the course of his stunning knock. Apart from Shaheen, Mohammad Hafeez chipped in with his valuable 49 off 44 balls, laced with three boundaries and a six while the rest of the batters could not contribute significantly in the run chase.
For the Zalmi, Wahab and Arshad Iqbal bagged two wickets each, while Amad Butt, Mohammad Umar, Khalid Usman, and Malik struck out a batter each.
After opting to bat first, the Zalmi managed to set a 159-runs target for the home side, thanks to the veteran Malik, who played a gritty knock of 32 runs.
Coming out to bat, the Zalmi’s openers Mohammad Haris and Hazratullah Zazai failed to provide a decent start to the side as the Qalandars’ speedster Haris Rauf broke the opening partnership in the second over; dismissing Haris for a mere six.
Zazai then put on a brief partnership with returning Kamran Akmal but the Afghan explosive batter could not get going for long as he walked back to the pavilion in the sixth over; scoring 20. Soon after, Kamran also perished as the debutant Fawad Ahmed castled him for 18.
Malik and Haider Ali then looked to rebuild the innings for the men in yellow. The pair appeared solid and recorded a magnificent 58-runs partnership but could not extend their stay at the crease till the death overs. Malik perished in the 14th while Haider made his way back in the 15th over.
In his 32-runs knock, Malik faced 28 deliveries and smashed one boundary and a six. Haider, on the other hand, followed back with his 25 off 22 balls, laced with two boundaries and a six.
Following their departure, the rest of the batters remained unable to go big in the death overs and as a result, the Zalmi finished at 158-7 in the allotted 20 overs. Hussain Talat remained unbeaten for his 17, while Khalid Usman also chipped in with his 11-ball 19.
For the Qalandars, Fawad bagged two wickets, while Shaheen, Haris, Mohammad Hafeez, and David Wiese made one scalp each.
