DUBAI: Lahore Qalandars’ tale of woes in the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) have put them on verge of elimination after Peshawar Zalmi sealed a crucial 17-run victory at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium here on Friday.

Peshawar’s third win lifted them into second spot, two points behind Quetta Gladiators, who have already booked their place in the playoffs. But if Islamabad United beat Quetta in Friday night’s fixture, then Peshawar would drop to third.

Lahore, meanwhile, now are left with no choice but to beat Karachi Kings in Saturday’s late afternoon clash to avoid being eliminated for the second straight year.

Remarkably, Game 16 provided the first instance in this tournament of a captain electing to bat first after winning the toss. But Peshawar posted 166-6, their captain Darren Sammy was quite nervous when Cameron Delport was striking boundaries at will — there five of them off spinner Mohammad Asghar in the second over of the chase and the first four were hit in succession.

At 33-0 in two overs, Lahore were off to the most electrifying start in front of sizeable crowd. And then the game changed in a sensational turnaround as Peshawar seized initiative by picking up six wickets in the space of 17 balls as Lahore slipped from 38-0 in the third over to 43-6 in the sixth.

Delport, the 27-year-old left-hander from South Africa who is surprisingly yet to play at the international level, crunched seven boundaries when he got late on a pull shot but saw a top edge superbly taken by bowler Hasan Ali.

Fakhar Zaman fell second ball by lofting Hafeez straight down Wahab’s throat at long-on. Two deliveries later, Umar Akmal called his captain, Brendon McCullum, for a run but suddenly turned his back on him. McCullum had no chance of retrieving back and was run out for six.

Shakib Al Hasan struck with his very first ball, trapping Umar in front when the Pakistan right-hander played for the non-existent turn from the left-handed spinning all-rounder from Bangladesh.

Grant Elliott failed to read an arm ball which Shakib fired shin high to get the veteran New Zealander leg-before-wicket.

Peshawar’s already iron-like grip on the match became unassailable Hafeez forced Mohammad Rizwan to edge a straight delivery to wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal but the ball bounced off the keeper’s gloves onto the helmet. Technically, umpire Shozab Raza shouldn’t have adjudged Rizwan out.

Lahore, somehow, tried to get their chase on track but it was always a tall order. Sunil Narine (21 off 14 balls, two sixes) and Aamir Yamin (run-a-ball 25, two sixes and two fours) added 45 before both were dismissed.

Sohail Tanvir (an unbeaten 36 off 29, two sixes and two fours) and Yasir Shah (22 off 19) came together to share the highest partnership of the game — 55 — but Lahore looked like winning.

Earlier, Kamran Akmal slammed 58 off 40 balls (nine boundaries) and Shakib (30 off 24) were Peshawar’s main run-getters but Hafeez again failed to get going. The former national team T20 leader made 13 from 18 balls after being dropped from the previous match.

Scoreboard

PESHAWAR ZALMI:

Tamim Iqbal c and b Aamir 5 Kamran Akmal st Rizwan b Yasir 58 Mohammad Hafeez b Yasir 13 M.N. Samuels b Narine 17 Shakib Al Hasan c Umar b Sohail 30 Shahid Afridi run out 10 D.J.G. Sammy not out 17 Wahab Riaz not out 0

EXTRAS (B-8, LB-1, W-7) 16

TOTAL (for six wkts, 20 overs) 166

FALL OF WKTS: 1-6, 2-59, 3-94, 4-132, 5-147, 6-150.

DID NOT BAT: Sohaib Maqsood, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Asghar.

BOWLING: Sohail Tanvir 4-0-39-1; Aamir Yamin 4-0-28-1 (2w); Narine 4-0-28-1 (1w); Ghulam Mudassar 2-0-23-0; Yasir Shah 4-0-19-2; Elliott 2-0-20-0.

LAHORE QALANDARS:

C.S. Delport c and b Hasan 32 B.B. McCullum run out 6 Fakhar Zaman c Wahab b Hafeez 0 Umar Akmal lbw b Shakib 1 Mohammad Rizwan c Kamran b Hafeez 4 G.D. Elliott lbw b Shakib 0 S.P. Narine c Asghar b Wahab 21 Aamir Yamin c Hafeez b Sammy 25 Sohail Tanvir not out 36 Yasir Shah st Kamran b Afridi 22 Ghulam Mudassar not out 1

EXTRAS (W-1) 1

TOTAL (for nine wkts, 20 overs) 149

FALL OF WKTS: 1-38, 2-38, 3-38, 4-39, 5-39, 6-43, 7-88, 8-92, 9-147.

BOWLING: Hasan Ali 4-0-32-1; Mohammad Asghar 1-0-22-0; Mohammad Hafeez 3-0-25-2; Shakib Al Hasan 2-0-14-2 (1w); Wahab Riaz 4-0-24-1; Shahid Afridi 4-0-21-1; Sammy 2-0-11-1.

RESULT: Peshawar Zalmi won by 17 runs.

UMPIRES: Shozab Raza (Pakistan) and R.E.J. Martinesz (Sri Lanka).

TV UMPIRE: Ahmed Shahab (Pakistan).

MATCH REFEREE: R.S. Mahanama (Sri Lanka).

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Shakib Al Hasan.

Published in Dawn, February 25th, 2017

Opinion

Editorial

Judiciary’s SOS
Updated 28 Mar, 2024

Judiciary’s SOS

The ball is now in CJP Isa’s court, and he will feel pressure to take action.
Data protection
28 Mar, 2024

Data protection

WHAT do we want? Data protection laws. When do we want them? Immediately. Without delay, if we are to prevent ...
Selling humans
28 Mar, 2024

Selling humans

HUMAN traders feed off economic distress; they peddle promises of a better life to the impoverished who, mired in...
New terror wave
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

New terror wave

The time has come for decisive government action against militancy.
Development costs
27 Mar, 2024

Development costs

A HEFTY escalation of 30pc in the cost of ongoing federal development schemes is one of the many decisions where the...
Aitchison controversy
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

Aitchison controversy

It is hoped that higher authorities realise that politics and nepotism have no place in schools.