RAWALPINDI: It was a game in the HBL Pakistan Super League 2020 which Peshawar Zalmi and Islamabad wanted to win for obvious reasons here on Saturday, and both were afforded opportunities to pull the strings on the other at the Pindi Cricket Stadium.

However, the result was not decided on the playing field but the permutations preset by the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method of calculations — a common occurrence in rain-affected matches in these modern times — that eventually favoured Peshawar Zalmi, who were declared victorious by seven runs on the basis of being ahead at 85-2 to 78-2 made by the two-time former winners Islamabad United after nine overs of their respective innings.

While the light drizzle stopped play when Peshawar Zalmi required another 111 from the remaining 11 overs, hopes of resumption started to fade away as the covers were first brought on to secure the square and then taken off. The announcement — with the cut-off time of 5:57pm still some way off — that two overs could be slotted in to contrive a conclusive finish. Just as Tom Banton and Haider Ali prepared to go in to score the revised 21 runs, the drops of rain began pelting down hard enough to force everyone scurrying off the field for the one last time.

Ironically, the corresponding first fixture — which was to be played under lights — between these teams here on Feb 29 was abandoned without a ball being delivered.

Colin Ingram, one of the bright spots for Islamabad with a robust 25-ball knock of 41 that pushed the team’s total to 195-5, expressed anguish at the outcome of this vital clash between two the ‘home’ sides who were sharing the Rawalpindi venue.

“It’s a big shame to be honest for the match to conclude like this. During my long career, I’ve been involved in a number of rain-hit matches but the weather is not in our control,” lamented the Port Elizabeth-born former South African left-handed batsman. “From our perspectives losing in this manner surely is painful because we felt we’re still in the game when the rain came during their [Peshawar Zalmi’s] innings.

“There is no doubt this [the loss] is just like a bitter pill to swallow. I mean the way Islamabad put a decent total [on the board] and needed wickets at the backend [of the match] to seal the win all of us desperately wanted.”

Not much was lost in terms of weather upfront with the game starting with a delay of just 15 minutes — while no overs lost when the toss was conducted at 1:55pm — once again due to the superhuman efforts of the extremely efficient groundstaff, headed by chief curator Mohammad Ashraf. In normal circumstances it would have been virtually impossible of think that Match No.20 would see any action amidst the gloomy conditions since Friday morning. In the end, it turned out be a miracle.

Peshawar Zalmi probably had their worst fielding moment in the PSL history as Saturday saw the PCB marking the day for the cause of ‘Breast Cancer Awareness’ with both teams sporting the symbolic pink-coloured caps and ribbons. And although the outfield was considerably dry but trifle sluggish, Peshawar culpably dropped no less than five catches.

The chief beneficiary was this unexpected generosity was the 32-year-old South African-born New Zealand opener Colin Munro. The left-hander hit up a sparking 52 from 35 balls — four boundaries and two sixes, including an incredible straight blow off Hasan Ali — but he would have easily perished before even making into the double digits.

Shoaib Malik, a rather choice to share the new ball with Rahat Ali despite the already chilly conditions being heavily overcast with dampness in the air, almost had Munro edging the first delivery onto his stumps but completely missed the line as the ball beat Kamran Akmal too for four byes. The last ball of that same over saw Malik induced Munro striking a high ball, only for Wahab floored a sitter inside the 30-yard circle the mid-on region.

The epidemic of greasy fingers later spread to Malik — who seldom drops anything on the field — who reprieved both Colin Ingram and Shadab in successive overs from Rahat and Carlos Brathwaite, while young Haider was also guilty of allowing Shadab a life off Wahab when the Islamabad skipper had reached 65.

Liam Livingstone — who very early on had grassed a an extremely tough chance at wide slip when Rizwan Hussain, then on zero, flashed hard at Rahat — atoned for the lapses with three catches, including a stupendous diving effort to send back Munro, while breaking the third-wicket partnership of 67 in 40 balls with Shadab.

Shadab’s bowling form of late is nothing anew but his rise as a top-order batsman is one of the enchanting stories of PSL V. Thrust into the leadership role by the head coach of Islamabad United — and of course, Pakistan too — Misbah-ul-Haq, the 21-year-old’s rise with the willow has been phenomenal to say the least.

For the third time in last six matches, man-of-the-match Shadab surpassed the half-century mark and went onto register his highest score in T20 cricket — bettering the unbeaten 64 made for Dhaka Platoon against Dhaka Challengers during Bangladesh Premier League in January — before being dismissed for 77, and excellent 42-ball innings adorned with five fours and four sixes.

Ingram helped his young captain put on 76 in 43 deliveries for the fourth wicket but Peshawar Zalmi did will to bounce back after Islamabad United had accelerated to 100-2 in the first nine overs and were eyeing at least 220 rather the total they had to settle with.

Hasan Ali, Peshawar’s most successful wicket-taker with 2-36, was more than satisfied with the win. “The weather ruined what could have been potentially an explosive finish but we’ll take this victory anyway because we needed to our Rawalpindi visit on a high.”

While Peshawar now head off to Lahore for Tuesday’s encounter with bottom-placed Lahore Qalandars, Islamabad United get another chance to displace Peshawar from the current No.2 spot in the standings as they face leaders Multan Sultans here on Sunday afternoon, weather permitting.

Published in Dawn, March 8th, 2020