Peshawar edge Karachi in last-over thriller

SHARJAH: Darren Sammy held his nerve with the ball, conceding just nine runs off the final over to guide Peshawar Zalmi to a thrilling three-run victory against Karachi Kings here on Thursday.

After 39 overs of a contest that swung one way and then another, Karachi needed 13 runs off six balls.

Sammy bowled full and wide first ball, and Ravi Bopara, who had almost single-handedly brought Karachi back into the game, helped himself to a six over the cover-point boundary.

Bopara took two off the next ball.

Karachi held the edge with five needed off four balls. Bopara could have sealed a famous win off the next ball, but sent Sammy’s full toss straight down the throat of long on.

Usama Mir managed a single off the fourth delivery. Karachi knew they had to run for anything, and their sneaky attempt at stealing a bye off the fifth ball was unsuccessful, as Mir was run out. That left Mohammad Amir, the new man in, with the unenviable task of hitting four off the last ball. After a huge discussion with his captain Shahid Afridi, Sammy ran in to bowl the final ball from around the wicket. His wide yorker was not accurate, but Amir failed to get any bat on it and the Peshawar players broke into wild celebrations.

A close finish was the last thing on everyone’s mind, especially Peshawar’s, when they reduced Karachi to 48 for 5 in a tough chase of 183.

However, Bopara inspired a turnaround, blasting five fours and four sixes in a 33-ball 67 which threatened to take the game away from Peshawar.

Bopara put up fifty-plus stands with James Vince (44 off 28) and Sohail Tanvir (23 off 17).

Earlier, Mohammad Hafeez blasted his first fifty of the season to power Peshawar to 182 for 4. Peshawar, opting to bat, began on the front foot, as Hafeez (59 off 35) and Tamim Iqbal (37 off 35) put up an opening stand of 93. Hafeez slammed seven fours and three sixes.

Kamran Akmal scored 30 from 20 balls, hitting two sixes and two fours.

Late blitzes from Sammy (18) and Afridi (17) lifted the team past the 180-run mark.

On Wednesday night, a display of uninhibited hitting from Shane Watson and Sharjeel Khan helped Islamabad United secure an eight-wicket win over Lahore Qalandars.

Watson, leading Islamabad after Misbah-ul-Haq failed to recover from a calf injury, smashed a 47-ball 79. Sharjeel matched him stroke-for-stroke in a 153-run opening stand before Ehsan Adil had Watson caught down the leg side, with Islamabad needing just 14 more. Andre Russell, promoted to No. 3, holed out for 2, but Sharjeel finished the game off with back-to-back sixes as Islamabad won with 25 balls and eight wickets to spare. Sharjeel stayed unbeaten on 79 off 43 balls.

Watson got a reprieve on 11 when Cameron Delport put down a chance at square leg off Kevon Cooper. It proved costly as Watson used the short side boundaries in Sharjah as his ally by crunching four fours and seven sixes.

The ferocity of the hitting was such that Lahore’s effort with that bat, which was fuelled by Mohammad Rizwan almost went unnoticed. Rizwan, who came in to bat with the scorecard reading 89 for 4 in the 13th over, marshalled the lower order and made an unbeaten 27-ball 50, including five fours and three sixes. It helped repair the early damage caused by Mohammad Sami and Saeed Ajmal. The last five overs fetched 58. Lahore slumped to the bottom of the table.