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Wily Zalmi spinner Asghar continues to fox batsmen

Dubai - The youngster shot into the limelight at the inaugural edition of the PSL when he snapped up three wickets for 20 runs debut against Islamabad United last year

Peshawar Zalmi's Mohammad Asghar continues to impress. The young left-arm spinner shot into the limelight at the inaugural edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) when he snapped up three wickets for 20 runs debut against Islamabad United last year.
Asghar finished as the joint fifth-highest wicket-taker with 11 wickets in the tournament. And the 18-year-old from Balochistan is at it, foxing quality batsmen in this edition as well.
Handed the ball by captain Darren Sammy, Asghar wiped off the Quetta Gladiators opener Asad Shafiq and Ahmed Shehzad. He later went on to claim T20 globetrotter Kevin Pietersen to break the back of the Quetta Gladiators.
Asghar's figures of 3 for 33 kept the Quetta Gladiators down to 128, and Peshawar Zalmi then went on to win by two wickets.
The youngster went on to win the man-of-the-match award and he said that Sammy had given him a lot of confidence.
"I would like to thank God, and with my parents' grace, I was able to do well. I was able to contribute on the field with a run out and pick up wickets as well. Darren Sammy gives me a lot of confidence. The wicket was spinning and I was bowling to my strengths," said Asghar, who now has 16 wickets overall in the PSL, over the two years.
Meanwhile, Sammy too praised the young bowler as well as Afridi, who guided them in the end.
"We just keep providing that sort of entertainment," said Sammy.
"Credit to the guys for the way they went out and bowled. (Mohammad) Asghar bowled really well and we put them on the backfoot right away. (Shahid) Afridi held his nerve and played an unbelievable innings. It is something we have not done too often. Our bowling has been carrying us through the tournament. Hopefully, we save our best for the knockout matches. It takes only a few good minutes and few good balls to turn it around. We set out wanting to finish in the top two and we have achieved that. Hopefully, we can go a step further," the West Indian added.
Sammy's opposite number Sarfraz Ahmed said that they were probably 10 to 15 runs light.
"Firstly, I think we were probably 10 to 15 runs short because we didn't make enough runs in the last five overs. But I would give credit to the bowlers for their outstanding bowling despite it being a low total to defend. The bowlers tried their best but there are bound to be a few mistakes," said Sarfraz.
Sarfraz gave credit to Shahid Afridi for the way he batted.
"You have to give credit to Shahid bhai for the way he batted on such a pitch. He showed his vast experience on that pitch tonight. And it was a usual innings as he took his time before going for the big shots. So, you have to give credit for the way he batted for his team," said the Pakistan T20 and ODI captain.
"Our batting is going well even though it didn't click tonight. There are a few grey areas and crucial points like the last five overs, we could have made 30 or 40 runs. But we lost quick wickets. So, during such times, we will try not to panic and try and play all the overs so that we can achieve the score that we want," he added.
james@khaleejtimes.com