HBL Pakistan Super League: Neesham guides Zalmi past Gladiators

From the Newspaper Published February 21, 2023

PESHAWAR Zalmi’s James Neesham plays a reverse sweep as Quetta Gladiators’ captain Sarfraz Ahmed looks on during their HBL PSL match at the National Stadium on Monday.—AFP

KARACHI: Quetta Gladiators’ had their moments. They fought to win battles, but the spoils of this HBL Pakistan Super League match went to Peshawar Zalmi here at the National Stadium on Monday.

Coming into the match after beating Karachi Kings, Gladiators had managed to post a competitive target of 155 against a Zalmi side reeling from their forgettable defeat against Multan Sultans.

But after Gladiators pacer Mohammad Hasnain had struck twice on consecutive balls to cancel out Mohammad Haris’ early onslaught, Zalmi ensured they never stopped attacking.

Thanks to a 46-run partnership off 30 balls between Jimmy Neesham and Rovman Powell, which set the team up for an eventual four-wicket victory before Wahab Riaz and Dasun Shanaka saw off two brilliant overs by Hasnain and his pace partner Naseem Shah to cross the finish line.

Peshawar’s chase was boosted by Haris’ blistering show early on before Hasnain arrived to hurt them.

The opener crunched Naseem through extra cover for hai first boundary before swattering spinner Mohammad Nawaz for three consecutive fours in the next over, which also saw skipper Babar Azam open his boundary account.

But with Hasnain introduced in the next over, Haris (18) became the pacer’s first victim, miscuing another big hit before the right-armer trapped Saim Ayub.

Hasnain wouldn’t have enjoyed how he concluded what could have been a perfect over, conceding two boundaries against Tom Kohler-Cadmore, but returned to take the Englishman’s wicket in the fifth over, with Naseem taking a decent catch at the third man boundary. By the end of the powerplay, though, Zalmi were cruising at 53-3.

Powell lifted Naseem for a straight four before clearing long on against Qais Ahmed. Babar, threatened to add to Quetta’s struggles with a sweep off Nawaz on the first ball of the eighth over but was adjudged lbw after a review on the next ball, that came straighter with the arm.

The incoming Neesham ensured Nawaz hardly got any value for the wicket, reverse sweeping for a four before a half-hearted fielding effort by Abdul Wahid Bangalzai at long-on got him six.

Zalmi brought up their 100 in the 12th over as Powell hammered Odean Smith through the covers for four. The right-hander rubbed salt in the Gladiators’ wounds with a huge six three balls later.

But Naseem wasn’t ready to let the match completely slip off his team’s grip. He shattered Powell’s (36 off 23) stumps with a yorker that clocked 141kph.

Neesham (38 off 23), however, kept going and dragged the match almost decisively into Peshawar’s favour with a six and two fours off Qais in the 15th over just before finding Nawaz at deep wicket to depart for 37 off 23.

Naseem and Hasnain, who were key in Quetta’s win against Karachi, were at it again. After Naseem conceded only two runs in the next over, his pace partner bowled a brilliant maiden.

With the duos quota of overs exhausted, and just 19 runs remaining to win for Peshawar in 18 balls, Nawaz and Smith leaked three more fours to wrap up the proceedings.

Earlier, Quetta struggled to play strokes freely and were reeling at 28-1 by the end of the powerplay, with opener Martin Guptill, who hit a century in his previous outing, falling to Neesham, a ball before his partner Jason Roy was cleaned up by a straighter one by leg-spinner.

Usman struck again two overs later, this time trapping Mohammad Nawaz lbw, leaving Quetta in deep trouble and by the halfway stage they were 42-3.

The team required a 75-run partnership off 50 between captain Sarfraz Ahmed and Iftikhar Ahmed to enable themselves to a competitive score.

Sarfraz managed only five boundaries in his 30-ball knock for 35 before he was bamboozled by a yorker pacer Arshad Iqbal.

Iftikhar, on the other hand, was more explosive. His six sixes in the recent exhibition match between two sides in Quetta must be on Wahab’s mind when the powerful right-hander heaved the veteran pacer for his second six over square leg as the crowd chanted “Chacha, Chacha”, referring to Iftikhar’s popular nickname.

After the 100 was up for the side on the first ball of 16th over, Iftikhar flicked Arshad off his hips for a four before dispatching the right-armer over long on for another six.

The incoming Odean Smith was dropped by Shanaka at square leg off Neesham. The West Indies batter celebrated with three consecutive fours in the same over

Iftikhar brought up his 50 off 33 balls with a single off Arshad in the last over. Smith, lifted a low full toss that flew like a bullet past the long on fence, bringing up the 150 for Quetta before finding a four past short fine leg to finish the innings, returning unbeaten at 25 off 12.

SCOREBOARD

QUETTA GLADIATORS:

Batters & modes of dismisslas R B 4s 6s SR

Jason Roy b Usman 14 23 2 0 60.86

Martin Guptill c (sub) b Neesham 12 16 2 0 75.00

Sarfraz Ahmed b Arshad 39 30 5 0 130.00

Mohammad Nawaz lbw b Usman 2 5 0 0 40.00

Iftikhar Ahmed not out 50 34 2 4 147.05

Odean Smith not out 25 12 4 1 208.33

EXTRAS (LB-6, W-6) 12

TOTAL (for four wickets, 20 overs) 154

DID NOT BAT: Abdul Bangalzai, Mohammad Hafeez, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Qais Ahmad