PSL 2019
Islamabad United's Beat Lahore Qalandars
Karachi Kings Beat Multan Sultans
Quetta GladiatorsBeat Peshawar Zalmi
In
PSL Match
· Brief Scores: Lahore Qalandars 171/8 in 20 overs (Fakhar Zaman 65, Faheem Ashraf 2-24) lost to Islamabad United 177/5 in 19.2 overs (Hussain Talat 37, Asif Ali 36*, Rahat 4-29) by five wickets
· Brief scores: Peshawar Zalmi 155/4 in 20 overs (Misbah-ul-Haq 49*, Kamran Akmal 49; Mohammad Nawaz 2-25) lost to Quetta Gladiators 161/4 in 19.4 overs (Umar Akmal 75*, Sarfraz Ahmed 37; Wahab Riaz 2-18) by six wickets.
· Brief scores: Peshawar Zalmi 155/4 in 20 overs (Misbah-ul-Haq 49*, Kamran Akmal 49; Mohammad Nawaz 2-25) lost to Quetta Gladiators 161/4 in 19.4 overs (Umar Akmal 75*, Sarfraz Ahmed 37; Wahab Riaz 2-18) by six wickets
Islamabad United's vs Lahore Qalandars
In a cracking start to the tournament, Pakistan Super League opened with Islamabad United's come-from-behind victory over Lahore Qalandars by five wickets. Chasing a target of 172, United lost three wickets in the final over of the powerplay to Rahat Ali before an unbeaten 59-run stand between Asif Ali (36* off 19) and Faheem Ashraf (23* off 11) for the sixth wicket got them over the line.
United could have been chasing many more. Qalandars had put together a punishing 97-run opening stand between Fakhar Zaman and Sohail Akhtar and were comfortably sat at 129/1 in the 14th over. Zaman raced to his third PSL fifty after Akhtar's wicket by Faheem Ashraf in the 11th over and had AB de Villiers for the company at the other end, and a total in excess of 200 looked well within reach.
But Zaman lost his wicket to Shadab Khan after a 43-ball 65 and his dismissal triggered a collapse, where Qalandars lost six wickets in the last six overs, adding only 41 runs. Mohammad Sami cleverly bowled Waqas Maqsood and Cameron Delport for four overs during this period, and the gamble paid off. Maqsood picked up the dangerous de Villiers and combined with Delport to pick 2 for 25 in the quiet four overs after Zaman's wicket.
United's chase was going well at 45 for no loss at the end of the five-over mark. And then that Rahat Ali over happened. Rizwan Hussain, Luke Ronchi, and Philip Salt all fell in one over, making life difficult for the batsmen to follow. Hussain Talat and Delport could only add 20 runs in the next four overs, the duo looking to prevent any further damage with careful play.
Rahat Ali returned in the 14th over to pick Delport's wicket. Carlos Brathwaite's scalp of Talat in the next over meant that the United were tottering again when Faheem Ashraf and Asif Ali got together in the 15th over, the equation then reading 54 to get from 5.2 overs.
Ashraf hit a six second-ball, followed it up with a couple of boundaries in the next off Yasir Shah and didn't just bringing the run-rate back under control but also spurred on Asif Ali, who pulled off back-to-back sixes off Rahat Ali's last over.
With 12 to get off the last two overs, both Asif Ali and Faheem Ashraf hit a six each, the latter's hit sealing the game with four balls to spare.
Karachi Kings vs Multan Sultans
Karachi Kings got their PSL 2019 campaign off to a winning start with a narrow seven-run defeat of Multan Sultans. Liam Livingstone and Babar Azam starred in the victory by smashing brisk half-centuries in a 157-run opening stand while Mohammad Amir returned 4 for 25 to keep a spirited Multan chase at bay. Karachi nearly let their vice-like grip on the game slip on two occasions, one in each innings, before regaining control each time to get their season underway with a win.
Imad Wasim's decision to bat was vindicated as Livingstone and Babar, fresh of a sparkling series in South Africa, began in rapid fashion. Despite striking at a healthy Strike Rate of 130, Babar's innings (77 off 59) was overshadowed by Livingstone's, a 43-ball knock that included half-a-dozen sixes and an equal number of fours. Livingstone had a hundred for the taking when he was dismissed was 82 in the 16th over. Karachi, then on 157, then suffered an inexplicable batting implosion adding a mere 26 runs to their total to finish at 183 for 6. Chris Green claimed 3 for 32 for Multan.
Where they should have been buoyed at their recovery job and translated that into a sprightly chase, Multan went the opposite route. They scored at just over a run-a-ball in the first eight overs of the chase before captain Malik arrived at the crease after the fall of the second wicket. He put on 72 for the third wicket with Laurie Evans (49 off 39) before a run-out ended the latter's stay. Amir then dealt the crucial blows to remove Andre Russell and Shahid Afridi leaving Malik with all to do. He was eventually dismissed for 52 off 28 although the equation soon reduced to a very gettable 20 off 12. Amir and Sohail Khan closed out the game without much ado.
Peshawar Zalmi vs Quetta Gladiators
Quetta Gladiators began their PSL 2019 campaign with a clinical six-wicket victory over Peshawar Zalmi in Dubai. Umar Akmal starred for the Gladiators, hitting an unbeaten 75 in a chase of 156 after the bowlers had done a fine job of restricting Zalmi to a modest total.
Put in to bat first, Zalmi lost opener, Andre Fletcher, cheaply but Kamran Akmal combined with Shoaib Maqsood for a 64-run partnership for the second wicket to put Zalmi's innings back on track again. Kamran was the aggressor in the partnership but still missed out on a half-century by one run. The pair fell in quick succession, but Misbah-ul-Haq took it upon himself to revive the team in the second half.
The veteran hit two sixes and four boundaries in his 32-ball knock worth 49 not out. He put on an unbroken 53-run stand stand with Liam Dawson for the fifth wicket but despite the late hitting, Zalmi were restricted to 155/4 from their allotted overs.
Hasali Ali, in return, rocked Gladiators chase off the very first ball by trapping Ahmed Shehzad leg-before-wicket. Shane Watson and Rilee Rossouw got the chase underway with a brief 34-run alliance. The Australian all-rounder was dismissed after having contributed just 19 to the cause, bringing Umar to the crease.
Playing his maiden game for the new franchise, Umar shouldered the responsibility of the chase as the other set batsman - Rossouw - after falling for 19. Umar and skipper Sarfraz Ahmed stitched a 62-run partnership to all but seal the fate of the game. Umar raised his half-century off 35 deliveries, soon after which the partnership was broken by Wahab Riaz. Sarfraz, who had hit three boundaries and a six in his brief stay, drove straight into the hands of Darren Sammy at cover.
However, with Umar well set, Gladiators were hardly troubled. With 13 required off 12 balls, Dwayne Smith hit a couple of boundaries in the penultimate over to lend some finishing touches while Akmal, fittingly, sealed it with a six.
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