SHARJAH: Pakistan head coach Mickey Arthur was left a happy man for a change after Karachi Kings registered their second successive win to continue their resurgence in the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) here on Sunday night.

Not even another failure of Chris Gayle (11) mattered as Karachi han­ded Peshawar Zalmi their second defeat on successive nights at the Shar­jah Cricket Stadium after Arthur’s charges posted a competitive 174-4.

By the 12th over, Karachi were eyeing an emphatic win when they had Peshawar in the mire at 69-6. But they forgot the fact that Darren Sammy and Shahid Afridi not among those dismissed in a list that included England ODI and T20 skipper Eoin Morgan who signed off his PSL assignment to head back home on Monday morning before flying off to the Caribbean.

Sammy and Afridi turned the match on its head with a counterattacking partnership of 70 before the wheels came off as Peshawar were all out for 165 with young leggie Usama Mir taking two wickets in the final over. Afridi blasted five sixes and three fours in posting his maiden 50 (54 off 28 balls) and Sammy three sixes and one four in an equally-ballistic 26-ball 34.

Sohail Khan and Usman Shinwari claimed three wickets each and Ravi Bopara held four fine catches in a great fielding display.

Game 13 saw the bowling-first ploy persisted with yet again and Darren Sammy chose the option after winning the toss. His decision didn’t get the desired early wickets as Babar Azam and Kumar Sangakkara combined well to put on 72 in Karachi’s best opening stand in the PSL, comfortably going past 54 put on by Shoaib Malik and Nauman Anwar last year against Lahore Qalandars on this ground.

Babar carried on from where he had left two nights ago by making 46 off 38 balls (six boundaries and one six), while the skipper scored a 22-ball 28 before Malik and Bopara (30 off 20) provided the finishing touches by adding 44 in 28 deliveries.

Man-of-the-match Malik, who took a wicket as well, then completed his first PSL half-century in his 14th appearance on the last ball of the innings to finish on 51, a 27-ball effort adorned with four fours and three sixes.

Scoreboard

KARACHI KINGS:

Babar Azam c Hasan b Shakib 46K.C. Sangakkara c Hasan b Iftikhar 28C.H. Gayle c Morgan b Iftikhar 11Shoaib Malik not out 51R.S. Bopara c Sohaib b Imran Jr 30K.A. Pollard not out 4

EXTRAS (LB-4) 4

TOTAL (for four wkts, 20 overs) 174

FALL OF WKTS: 1-72, 2-75, 3-90, 4-134.

DID NOT BAT: Imad Wasim, Sohail Khan, Mohammad Amir, Usama Mir, Usman Khan Shinwari.

BOWLING: Hasan Ali 3-0-32-0; Wahab Riaz 4-0-32-0; Shakib Al Hasan 2-0-14-2; Imran Khan Jr 4-0-42-1; Sammy 1-0-16-0; Shahid Afridi 4-0-26-0; Iftikhar Ahmed 2-0-8-2.

PESHAWAR ZALMI:

Tamim Iqbal c Sangakkara b Sohail 16 Kamran Akmal c Bopara b Sohail 14Iftikhar Ahmed c Sangakkara b Imad 1E.J.G. Morgan c Bopara b Malik 3Shakib Al Hasan c Bopara b Usman 18Sohaib Maqsood c Pollard b Usman 5D.J.G. Sammy c Gayle b Sohail 34Shahid Afridi c Gayle b Usama 54Wahab Riaz b Usman 2Hasan Ali c Bopara b Usama 10Imran Khan Jr not out 0

EXTRAS (W-6, NB-2) 8

TOTAL (all out, 19.5 overs) 165

FALL OF WKTS: 1-32, 2-33, 3-33, 4-43, 5-58, 6-69, 7-139, 8-146, 9-165.

BOWLING: Imad Wasim 3-0-24-1; Mohammad Amir 4-0-41-0; Sohail Khan 4-1-28-3; Usama Mir 3.5-0-28-2; Shoaib Malik 1-0-6-1; Usman Khan Shinwari 4-0-32-3 (2nb).

RESULT: Karachi Kings won by nine runs.

UMPIRES: Aleem Dar (Pakistan) and Ahmed Shahab (Pakistan).

TV UMPIRE: Shozab Raza (Pakistan).

MATCH REFEREE: Mohammad Anees (Pakistan).

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Shoaib Malik.

Published in Dawn, February 20th, 2017