RAWALPINDI: Once Pesha­war Zalmi got going after a disastrous start, the Karachi Kings had no answer; eventually limping to a 24-run defeat in their HBL Pakistan Super League match at the Pindi Cricket Stadium on Wednesday. The way it ended — the Kings needing 27 runs to win off the last ball — was a far cry from the way this game had started.

Teenager Haseebullah Khan was the game-changer with his flamboyant innings of 50 rescuing Zalmi from the depths of despair at 2-3 after an inspired spell of fast bowling by Mohammad Amir (4-26) and powering them to 197-5, with valuable contributions from Rovman Powell (64) and Tom Kohler-Cadmore (56 not out), after they had been put into bat.

Zalmi then shrugged off a missed review of Matthew Wade early on as they returned to defend their total but even though the Australian made 53, the wheels came off early in the Kings’ chase and when he was cleaned up by spinner Mujeeb-ur-Rehman in the 12th over, the game seemed over with his side reduced to 95-5.

Wade had made just two runs when Mujeeb put up a mild shout for a caught behind as the Australian went for a reverse sweep. Zalmi didn’t opt for a review and replays later showed the ball had touched his glove on the way to wicket-keeper Haseeb. Wade was looking to have made the most of his escape, hitting consecutive boundaries of Arshad Iqbal and two in the same over by Wahab Riaz.

But wickets kept falling around him at regular intervals; his opening partner Adam Rossington falling to Azmatullah Omarzai (3-19) after a flying start and then Tayyab Tahir also departing after Wade had hit four boundaries in the intervening period. Irfan Khan Niazi and Shoaib Malik then fell in the space of four deliveries before Wade fell trying to sweep Mujeeb.

After Ben Cutting became Omarzai’s third victim, Aamer Jamal got two wickets in two balls, dismissing Aamer Yamin and Tabraiz Shamsi to reduce the Kings to 122-8. Skipper Imad Wasim hit an unbeaten 57 off 30 balls with 10 boundaries and one six but it was too little too late.

While the Kings slumped to a fifth defeat in seven matches, Zalmi snapped a two-game losing run to move above their opponents in the table.

Amir had rolled back the years in a devastating opening spell, getting Mohammad Haris lbw on review with the first ball of the Zalmi innings; the ball shaping back into the right-hander, and then getting Babar Azam lbw with the fifth ball of the over in similar fashion; this time though the umpire’s finger did go up and the 30-year-old bowed to the crowd after coming up trumps in his battle with Pakistan’s all-format skipper.

Amir then got Saim Ayub caught at the square leg boundary with the second ball of his second over and the Karachi Kings were well and truly on top. Zalmi were reeling but the stage was set for Haseeb to announce himself, the PSL debutant driving Zalmi’s recovery with Kohler-Cadmore.

The 18-year-old cleared his front leg to drive pacer Yamin for his first boundary past mid-off and then hit Akif Javed for six over square leg and getting another maximum against Yamin. Imad was also not spared, swept for two sixes off consecutive balls as Haseeb raced to 50 off 27, an innings also featuring four fours, before he departed on the same score, finding Cutting on the fence of Tabraiz to leave Zalmi at 84-4 halfway through their innings.

Haseeb, though, had set the platform for Powell to take over and the West Indian laid into the Kings attack. He brought up his half-century off just 29 balls with a six off Yamin over long-on — one of four sixes he hit — and then got his fifth and sixth boundaries before becoming Amir’s fourth victim with nine balls to go.

The Kings, though, did not get any respite as the incoming Jamal plundered two sixes in his five-ball 13 before Kohler-Cad­more, who had largely played an anchor role, hit the third six of his innings of the penultimate ball of the innings to reach his half-century before flicking a four off the final ball.

With James Vince having returned to England duty, his compatriot Rossington (15) opened for the Kings and got their first boundary in the opening over but two balls into the second over, came that appeal from Mujeeb on Wade. In the end, it didn’t prove costly.

Scoreboard

PESHAWAR ZALMI:

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

Mohammad Haris lbw b Amir 0 1 0 0 0.00

Babar Azam lbw b Amir 0 3 0 0 0.00

Saim Ayub c Tayyab b Amir 1 3 0 0 33.33

Tom Kohler-Cadmore not out 56 45 5 3 124.44

Haseebullah Khan c Cutting b Shamsi 50 29 4 3 172.41

Rovman Powell c Rossington b Amir 64 34 6 4 188.23

Aamer Jamal not out 13 5 0 2 260.00

EXTRAS (B-1, LB-3, W-9) 13

TOTAL (for five wickets, 20 overs) 197

DID NOT BAT: Wahab Riaz, Azmatullah Omarzai, Arshad Iqbal, Mujeeb Ur Rahman

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-0 (Haris), 2-1 (Babar), 3-2 (Saim), 4-84 (Haseebullah), 5-169 (Powell)

BOWLING: Amir 4-0-26-4, Aamer 4-1-38-0 (2w), Akif 4-0-58-0 (2w), Imad 4-0-46-0 (3w), Shamsi 4-0-25-1 (2w)

KARACHI KINGS:

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

Matthew Wade b Mujeeb 53 41 9 0 129.26

Adam Rossington c Aamer b Omarzai 15 8 2 1 187.50

Tayyab Tahir c Haseebullah b Omarzai 6 6 1 0 100.00

Irfan Khan c Powell b Mujeeb 4 6 0 0 66.66

Shoaib Malik c & b Aamer 1 3 0 0 33.33

Imad Wasim not out 57 30 10 1 190.00

Ben Cutting c (sub) b Omarzai 15 13 1 1 115.38

Aamer Yamin c Babar b Aamer 8 5 0 1 160.00

Tabraiz Shamsi b Aamer 0 1 0 0 0.00

Akif Javed not out 7 7 1 0 100.00

EXTRAS (W-7) 7

TOTAL (for eight wickets, 20 overs) 173

DID NOT BAT: Mohammad Amir

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-40 (Rossington), 2-66 (Tayyab), 3-79 (Irfan), 4-81 (Malik), 5-95 (Wade), 6-112 (Cutting), 7-122 (Aamer), 8-122 (Shamsi)

BOWLING: Arshad 4-0-38-0 (1w), Mujeeb 4-0-28-2, Wahab 4-0-36-0 (1w), Omarzai 4-0-28-3 (2w), Aamer 4-0-43-3 (3w)

RESULT: Peshawar Zalmi won by 24 runs.

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2023