Islamabad United set 177 to beat Peshawar Zalmi

DUBAI: Islamabad United, playing their first match in the third edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), has been set a daunting target of 177 runs from Peshawar Zalmi here at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Saturday.

Sent into bat by the United, the Zalmi batsmen played with ease against the United bowlers and made 121 runs in 13 overs.

However, they could not maintain the scoring tempo in the latter overs as they lost five wickets for 55 runs to finish at 176 for six in 20 overs.

Kamran Akmal top scored with a brilliant fifty, smashing three sixes and seven fours in his 53 off 32 balls. He was involved in the first two successive fifty plus partnerships – 69 with Tamim Iqbal of Bangladesh for the first wicket and 52 with Dwayne Smith of West Indies for the second.

Tamim made 39 off 29 balls with two sixes and as many boundaries while Smith scored 30 off 21 balls with two sixes and one four.

Mohammad Hafeez also batted well, scoring an unbeaten 30 off 22 balls with three fours.

Medium-pace bowler Faheem Ashraf captured two wickets while Mohammad Sami, Rumman Raees, Andre Russell and Samit Patel claimed one wicket each.