PSL 2022: Thumping win for Islamabad; Lahore beat Karachi

Qalandars secured a dominating win over Karachi Kings, thanks to a fantastic century by Fakhar Zaman

Alex Hales and Paul Stirling struck blistering half centuries as two-time champions Islamabad United inflicted a crushing nine-wicket defeat on Peshawar Zalmi in their opening Pakistan Super League game on Sunday.

Englishman Hales hammered 13 fours and a six in his belligerent unbeaten 82 off 54 balls and Stirling was even more ruthless in scoring 57 off just 25 deliveries as Islamabad cruised to 172-1 in 15.5 overs and handed Peshawar their heaviest ever defeat in the PSL when batting first.

Islamabad followed the template of chasing at the National Stadium in Karachi after winning the toss and had earlier restricted Peshawar to 168-6. All five games in this season have won by the teams chasing.

Sherefane Rutherford’s unbeaten 70 off 46 balls rescued Peshawar from 35-4 as Ben Cutting (26) and Shoaib Malik (25) shared half-century stands with the left-handed West Indian.

Islamabad’s bowling, comprising mostly Pakistan international players, ran through the top order with fast bowlers Faheem Ashraf claiming two wickets (2-23) and Hasan Ali (2-34) clean bowling Tom Kohler-Cadmore off his third delivery.

Haider Ali played on to captain Shadab Khan’s (1-28) short delivery first up before Rutherford and Malik steadied the innings with a 73-run stand before Cutting added a further 51 runs on the backend of the innings.

Stirling and Hales provided a whirwind start of 78 in the batting powerplay and didn’t spare either the fast bowlers or the leg-spin of Usman Qadir (0-41), who had a forgettable outing of three overs.

Stirling was finally run-out in the 11th over when he couldn’t beat the direct throw from captain Wahab Riaz, who led the side after completing his isolation due to positive Covid-19 test.

Islamabad signing Rahmanullah Gurbaz of Afghanistan continued where Stirling left off as the young batsman smashed an unbeaten 27 off just 16 balls that included a helicopter six over mid-wicket off expensive fast bowler Sohail Khan (0-45).

Hales duly finished off the game by striking two consecutive boundaries against Cutting as Islamabad made an early impact in the competition with a brilliant all-round performance.

In the second match, Lahore Qalandars secured a dominating win over Karachi Kings, thanks to a fantastic century by Fakhar Zaman. The left-hander’s 106 off 60, which was embellished with 12 fours and four sixes, helped Lahore chase down 171 with four balls spare.

"It is a great feeling to have scored my first century in HBL PSL. What makes this even more special is the fact that I have scored it in a high-pressure match and helped my side win it," Fakhar said.

Kings opener Sharjeel Khan smashed an electrifying 39-ball 60 to provide his side a solid opening stand of 84 in 10.1 overs with Babar Azam, who made 41 off 33. Sharjeel crunched eight fours and three sixes.

Qalandars pacer Haris Rauf had an impressive outing with the bowl, as he returned three for 33 – accounting for Lewis Gregory, Sahibzada Farhan and Imad Wasim at death, denying the opposition the opportunity to finish on a high.

Brief scores:

Sunday

1st match

Islamabad beat Peshawar by nine wickets.

Peshawar Zalmi 168-6 in 20 overs (Sherfane Rutherford 70, Ben Cutting 26, Shoaib Malik 25; Faheem Ashraf 2-23, Hasan Ali 2-34) Islamabad United 172-1 in 15.5 overs (Alex Hales 82 not out, Paul Stirling 57)

2nd match

Lahore beat Karachi by six wickets.

Karachi Kings 170-7 in 20 overs (Sharjeel Khan 60, Babar Azam 41, Joe Clarke 24 not out; Haris Rauf 3-33) Lahore Qalandars 174-4, in 19.2 overs (Fakhar Zaman 106, Samit Patel 26 not out, Mohammad Hafeez 24; Umaid Asif 2-30)