DUBAI: Inspired by a dazzling century from Kamran Akmal, Peshawar Zalmi stormed into the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) final after beating Karachi Kings by 24 runs in the knockout qualifier at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Friday night.

Needing to score 182 in the third playoff, Karachi failed in their bid to prevent Darren Sammy’s men from marching into Sunday’s title-decider against Quetta Gladiators by limping to 157-7 in their reply.

They required a blazing start, identical to what Kamran and Dawid Malan had given to Peshawar in the first half of the clash, but were reduced to 19-3 by the sixth over.

Not even electrifying knocks from Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard could salvage a hopeless mission for Karachi. Two of the most destructive batsmen in this format, they tried in vain to resurrect the crumbling innings, but once Gayle (40 off 31 balls, four sixes and two fours) was bowled by Wahab Riaz, Karachi’s hopes of pulling off an improbable win vanished.

Pollard continued to fight on for a while with a series of monstrous strikes, but fell for a 26-ball 47 (four fours and three sixes) to a splendid catch by Kamran off Wahab, who took 3-24.

Nothing went right for Karachi from the outset after it took the last of 23 matches in the Emirates for the first century in this PSL edition to arrive.

This game will be remembered for Kamran’s memorable innings of 104 off only 65 balls. He couldn’t have chosen a more appropriate moment to stake his claims for an international comeback on next month’s tour of the West Indies. He thoroughly entertained the vast crowd, most of them supporting the men in yellow kit, with an awesome exhibition of batting to reach his second T20 ton.

Scoreboard

PESHAWAR ZALMI:

Kamran Akmal run out 104D.J. Malan c Babar b Sohail 36M.N. Samuels not out 37Shahid Afridi c Babar b Amir 0D.J.G. Sammy not out 0

EXTRAS (LB-3, W-1) 4

TOTAL (for three wkts, 20 overs) 181

FALL OF WKTS: 1-97, 2-174, 3-179.

DID NOT BAT: Mohammad Hafeez, Khushdil Shah, C.J. Jordan, Wahab Riaz, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Asghar.

BOWLING: Mohammad Amir 4-0-31-1; Imad Wasim 3-0-22-0; Sohail Khan 4-0-32-1 (1w); Usman Khan Shinwari 4-0-26-0; Usama Mir 2-0-26-0; Bopara 3-0-41-0.

KARACHI KINGS:

Babar Azam c Wahab b Jordan 1C.H. Gayle b Wahab 40Sangakkara c Samuels b Wahab 15Shoaib Malik c Hafeez b Jordan 0R.S. Bopara st Kamran b Hafeez 6 K.A. Pollard c Kamran b Wahab 47Imad Wasim c Hafeez b Jordan 24Sohail Khan not out 4Mohammad Amir not out 8

EXTRAS (LB-4, W-8) 12

TOTAL (for seven wkts, 20 overs) 157

FALL OF WKTS: 1-2, 2-19, 3-19, 4-35, 5-80, 6-142, 7-144.

DID NOT BAT: Usama Mir, Usman Khan Shinwari.

BOWLING: Hasan Ali 4-0-21-0 (1w); Jordan 4-0-26-3 (3w); Mohammad Hafeez Wahab Riaz 4-0-24-3; Shahid Afridi 2-0-27-0; Sammy 2-0-21-0 (3w); Mohammad Asghar 1-0-18-0 (1w).

RESULT: Peshawar Zalmi won by 24 runs.

UMPIRES: Shozab Raza (Pakistan) and R.E.J. Martinesz (Sri Lanka).

TV UMPIRE: Ahsan Raza (Pakistan).

MATCH REFEREE: R.S. Mahanama (Sri Lanka).

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Kamran Akmal.

Published in Dawn, March 4th, 2017