• Home
• /
• Sports
• /
• Local Sports

PSL T20: Peshawar too good for Islamabad

Dubai - Tamim Iqbal (51 off 51 balls, three fours, one six) half-century helped Peshawar post the highest total of the tournament.

Shahid Afridi fans in Dubai missed the chance to witness another whirlwind knock from their hero. But Peshawar Zalmi - the team led by Afridi - gave the fans plenty to cheer with a 24 runs run win over Islamabad United in their opening match of the Pakistan Super League at the Dubai Cricket Stadium on Friday.
Afridi, the Peshawar captain, elected to bat and his team posted a fighting total of 145 for seven in 20 overs, thanks a gritty knock from Bangladesh star Tamim Iqbal. They then restricted Islamabad to 121 for nine, handing the Misbah-ul Haq-led team their second straight defeat in the tournament.
Earlier, a Tamim Iqbal (51 off 51 balls, three fours, one six) half-century helped Peshawar post the highest total of the tournament. Veteran off-spinner Saeed Ajmal, with a corrected bowling action, was the pick of the Islamabad bowlers even though West Indian Andre Russell had more wickets (3) to show.
Ajmal (4-0-19-1) kept a nagging line and tormented Peshawar number three Dawid Malan. The Englishman didn't lose his wicket to Ajmal, but the psychological damage done by latter resulted in him giving his wicket away to left-arm pacer Rumman Raees.
Ajmal was quite brilliant and it was because of him that Peshawar never managed to break off the shackles.
Even the mighty Afridi (16, 12 balls, one four, one six), who arrived to a rapturous applause from the adoring fans, had a chance to help his team post a commanding total.
With his team comfortably placed at 88 for four in the 16th over, the stage was set for Afridi fireworks. But the Peshawar captain's mistimed shot off Russell gave an easy return catch to the West Indian bowler.
Tamim's wasn't the most fluent of knocks but in the end Peshawar bowlers pulled up their socks and defended their total quite brilliantly. The sub-plot was the fascinating face-off between Shane Watson (28, 31 balls, four fours) and Wahab Riaz (3/14).
It was the first time the two were involved in a battle after their famous tussle in the World Cup quarterfinal in Adelaide last year when Wahab bowled one of the most hostile spells seen in one-day cricket only for Watson to weather the storm and guide Australia to a comfortable victory.
Here at the Dubai stadium, it was Riaz who had the last laugh as the Australian, in a desperate attempt to bring the asking rate under control, perished. It was the beginning of the end for Islamabad as their batting flopped for the second straight match.
On Friday night, the main tormentor was Peshawar left-arm spinner Mohammad Ashgar (4-0-20-3) who broke the back of Islamabad middle-order with the wickets of Misbah (12), Umar Amin (4) and Babar Azam (0).
Teams:
Peshwar Zalmi
Shahid Afridi (captain) Tamim Iqbal, Mohammad Hafeez, DJ Malan, Kamran Akmal, Shahid Yousuf , DJG Sammy, Wahab Riaz, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Asghar and Shaun Tait
Islamabad United
Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Shane Watson, Umar Amin, Babar Azam, Imran Khalid, Ashar Zaidi, S Billings, Andre Russell, Saeed Ajmal, Rumman Raees, Sharjeel Khan