Duo formed a match-winning century stand for the sixth wicket
05 March, 2019
PHOTO COURTESY: Twitter/PSL
Veteran Pakistan cricketer Misbahul Haq and Windies all-rounder Darren Sammy starred as Peshawar Zalmi defeated Lahore Qalandars, during the 25th match of the ongoing Habib Bank Limited (HBL) Pakistan Super League (PSL) in Abu Dhabi.
Chasing a modest target of 125 runs, Zalmi found themselves in deep trouble right at the very beginning of their innings. They lost half their side for just 20 runs on the board due to some brilliant exhibition of fast-bowling from young pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi — who claimed three wickets in quick succession.
But at this crucial point, Misbah and Sammy brought their experience into play and guided the team to safer waters, with a century stand for the sixth wicket.
Misbah, who thrived in similar situations all throughout his international career, dealt the situation expertly and stayed out in the middle till the very end. His 59-run unbeaten knock included four boundaries and two sixes.
Captain Sammy provided Misbah with the just the support he needed, with an innings of 46 runs off 36 balls.
Rahat Ali and Afridi bowled economical bowling spells, while also picking up key wickets, especially with the new ball but that was not enough to get their team over the line.
Ali ended with figures of 1-12 while Afridi finished with 3-17 — in their respective four-over spells.
The winning side chased down the target on the penultimate ball of the innings with four wickets in hand.
Earlier Qalandars posted 124-7 in their allotted 20 overs, after Zalmi won the toss and decided to field first.
Their innings remained bereft of momentum throughout the 20 overs with regular fall of wickets playing a key role in stalling the team’s progress.
Left-handed batsman Haris Sohail help the side avoid complete capitulation with an innings of 43 runs.
Wicketkepeer-batsman Umair Masood and all-rounder David Wiese chipped in with contributions of 22 and 26 runs respectively.
For Zalmi, left-arm pacer Tymal Mills was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets for 29 runs in his full quota of four overs.
Right-arm pacer Sameen Gul also kept things tight with an economical bowling spell. He claimed two wickets for 17 runs in his four overs.
Slow-left-arm spinner Liam Dawson and fast-bowler Wahab Riaz bagged one wicket each.
For rescuing the team with his brilliant innings, Misbah bagged the award for the player of the match.
