Hasan shines as Peshawar decimate Karachi Kings

LAHORE: Peshawar Zalmi decimated Karachi Kings with 44 runs win in the ninth match of the Pakistan Super League-IV at the Sharjah Stadium Thursday night.

Having a fighting total of 153, Zalmi reduced Kings to size by keeping them silent at 109 for nine to get their second win of the season. Hasan Ali dented Kings batting by trapping Liam Livingstone on the first ball and then had a prized run out of Babar Azam. Later, he added three more wickets to his bowling in his final and the 19th over to end up with figures of four for 15.

Kings were in dire straits by the fourth over when Wahab Riaz cut them short to three for 15. Umaid Asif and Kieron Pollard shared one wicket each. All of the Karachi batters failed to respond to the good work done by their bowlers. Only their captain Imad Wasim and Muhammad Rizwan put up some resistance to Zalmi attack with 26 and 32 not out respectively in an otherwise lethargic approach of Kings.

By the eighth over, when Kings had some redemption with Colin Ingram and Sikandar Raza at the crease, Imam-ul-Haq increased their misery with a run out of their stable bat (Ingram at 21).

At four for 43, Kings hope rested with Sikandar but those expectations too were short-lived when he was clean bowled by Umaid Asif for 14. Imad and Rizwan on their part mustered 49 runs for the sixth wicket but that partnership was not solid enough to save Kings’ blushes. Kings lost three wickets to Hasan in the 19th over to completely dash in.

Invited to bat, Peshawar Zalmi got a score stable enough to fight. Opener Imam-ul-Haq, Liam Dawson and skipper Darren Sammy provided stability to Zalmi total after Kings jolted them early on.

Aamir Yameen tilted the game in Kings’ favour in the second over of the innings with a splendid in-swinging to clean bowl opener Kamran Akmal. Later on, Sikandar Raza with two wickets in a maiden over left Zalmi in tatters. Imad Wasim picked Pollard’s wicket on a duck. The game was going in Imad Wasim’s favour until a marvellous knock of 56 off 43 with five boundaries and a six by Imam gradually shifted the momentum. Liam Dawson’s 43 off 33 complimented Haq.

And later three fours and a six laced innings of Darren Sammy to have 24 runs off 10 balls left Kings’ in concern.

All eyes were on in-form Babar Azam. But three back-to- back wickets of the Kings in first four overs ruined Karachi. Kings started their PSL campaign on a high note when they defeated Multan Sultans in a close contest by seven runs. However, they lost the next game to Lahore Qalandars by 22 runs.