Zalmi crush Qalandars by seven wickets

DUBAI: The middle-order batsman Umar Amin’s half-century drove Peshawar Zalmi to a comfortable win against the Lahore Qalandars in a 79 run-chase in the second fixture at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

Zalmi completed the meagre target after facing an initial stutter due to the fiery spells by Qalandars’ pace attack. Shaheen Afridi with a beautiful yorker dismissed Kamran Akmal while Haris Rauf and Rahat Ali took the wickets of Imam ul Haq and WL Madsen respectively.

Meanwhile, Zalmi’s fast bowler Hasan Ali’s fiery four-wicket haul complimented with top-notch bowling of Ibtisam Shiekh and Wahab Riaz wrapped up Lahore Qalandars on 78 runs in 15.1 overs. Hasan Ali drew the first blood for Peshawar Zalmi after picking two wickets in an over against Lahore Qalandars - eliminating the possibility of a fiery start from Zaman and Akhtar.

Hasan Ali’s bouncer and in-swingers were too hot to handle for the Qalandars’ opening stand as the bowler with his sheer pace and seam departed the four opening batsmen, including skipper AB de Villiers. De Villiers was captaining Qalandars as Hafeez has been advised to rest for a few days following initial scans conducted after he was hit on the thumb.

Riaz and Sheikh with Pollard extended the momentum created by Ali by picking up regular wickets during the course of the innings. Qalandars’ camp would be disappointed with the batting performance a day after a splendid win over Karachi Kings.