Peshawar register win after bowling out Lahore

Dubai - Peshawar Zalmi were made to work for a cliff-hanging three-wicket victory

Sixty to get from 120 balls, it had seemed all pretty straightforward and simple. But, not quite, though.
Lahore Qalandars leg spinner Yasir Shah turned a low-scoring affair on its head with four wickets for seven, as Peshawar Zalmi were made to work for a cliff-hanging three-wicket victory and with 18 balls to spare, in the sixth match of the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL).
Watching the Peshawar Zalmi bowling attack at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, first up, on Sunday night, it perhaps might have felt that the bunch of the guys was enjoying an evening out at the bowling alley.
It seemed a wonderful night out with all of them getting strikes to their name. But the same could be said about the Lahore Qalandars attack as well.
On a night when the batsmen from either side failed to turn up, falling like nine pins, the bowlers aced this game.
And in a heart-pumping and low-scoring thriller, the Peshawar Zalmis huffed and puffed before pulling off a great escape. Shah let them rip to break Peshawar Zalmi's back.
He snapped up Kamran Akmal, Sohaib Maqsood, dangerman Eoin Morgan and Darren Sammy to make the target look like a mountain. Runs were at a premium but Chris Jordan and Wahab Riaz got them just over the line.
Earlier, all six Zalmi bowlers were amongst the wickets with the young pacer Hasan Ali, snapping up three wickets, five days after turning 23, while Jordan helped himself to two.
The Lahore Qalandars innings never really got off the park with them spluttering to 59. It could have much worse but for Fakhar Zaman's defiant 33.
But that still didn't stop the Lahore Qalandars from making an unwanted record of posting the lowest ever total in PSL history, and the second lowest in T20 history.
Brendon McCullum's men were erased for a paltry 59 in 62 balls. The lowest ever total in T20s is 45 from 52 balls scored by Mohammedan against Prime Bank in Sylhet in December 2013.
The lowest total in the PSL is 111 made by Karachi Kings against Islamabad United, in Dubai last year.
Peshawar Zalmi captain Darren Sammy called right at the toss and didn't hesitate one bit in telling the opposition to have first go on a surface, which had juice in it because of the moisture, following overnight showers.
And his bowlers were right on cue with the 18-year-old left-arm spinner Mohammad Asghar removing opener McCulllum (0). The former New Zealand captain has been kept quiet so far in the competition.
Then, Hasan Ali, handpicked by Zalmi head coach Mohammad Akram, accounted for the dangerous Jason Roy. Umar Akmal (0) was to be his second victim and he then added a third by sending back New Zealand all-rounder Grant Elliott, also for nought.
Wahab Riaz then ended wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan's defiance after which Sunil Narine followed suit, falling to Mohammad Hafeez.
Sohail Tanvir was run out by Jordan, who later went on to take Mohammad Irfan (Jr). Prior to that, Shahid Afridi had removed Bilawal Bhatti.
Zaman, who stood firm amidst the ruins, made 33 from 19 balls with four boundaries and a six.
james@khaleejtimes.com
 
Scoreboard
Lahore Qalandars
Roy c Jordan b Hasan 9
McCullum c Malan b Asghar 0
Zaman c Kamran b Jordan 33
Umar c Hafeez b Hasan 0
Elliott c Sammy b Hasan 0
Rizwan c Morgan b Riaz 11
Narine c Jordan b Hafeez 2
Tanvir run out (Jordan) 1
Bhatti b Afridi 1
Yasir not out 0
Irfan c Kamran b Jordan 0
Extras (w1, nb1) 2
Total (all out; 10.2 overs) 59
Fall: 1-5, 2-9, 3-9, 4-27, 5-47, 6-52, 7-53, 8-59, 9-59
Bowling: Asghar 1-0-5-1, Hasan 3-0-23-3, Hafeez 2-0-12-1, Jordan 1.2-0-8-2, Riaz 2-0-9-1, Afridi 1-0-2-1.
Peshawar Zalmi innings
Hafeez st Rizwan b Narine 3
DJ Malan lbw b Tanvir 1
Akmal c Elliott b Shah 3
Morgan c Zaman b Shah 23
Afridi c Elliott b Narine 13
Maqsood c McCullum b Shah 0
Sammy b Shah 3
Jordan not out 3
Riaz not out 5
Extras (w5, nb1) 6
Total (7 wickets; 17 overs) 60
Did not bat: Mohammad Asghar, Hasan Ali
Fall: 1-4, 2-4, 3-24, 4-47, 5-47, 6-48, 7-51
Bowling: Narine 4-0-16-2, Tanvir 2-0-4-1, Irfan (4) 1-0-11-0, Bhatti 4-0-15-0, Shah 4-0-7-4, Zaman 1-0-2-0, Elliott 1-0-5-0.