Karachi (Sports News):
Skipper Babar Azam anchored a clinical chase with 71 not out as Peshawar Zalmi stayed unbeaten in HBL Pakistan Super League 11 with an eight-wicket win over Quetta Gladiators in Match 23 at the National Bank Stadium on Tuesday.
The win extended Peshawar’s lead at the top of the table with 13 points in seven games and took them within touching distance to the play-offs.
Babar's measured knock off 51 balls laced with 10 boundaries guided Peshawar to 156 for two in 18.3 overs in pursuit of 155 set by the Quetta. This was also Babar’s 100th T20 half-century. Mohammad Haris provided the early impetus with 35 from 28 balls, while Aaron Hardie remained unbeaten on 18 to seal a comfortable victory with nine deliveries to spare.
Earlier, HBL PSL debutant Mohammad Basit (4-0-36-3) and Sufyan Moqim (4-0-25-3) combined to skittle Quetta for 154 in 20 overs, with Hasan Nawaz top-scored for the Quetta with 37 from 35 balls hitting four fours in a stop-start innings that never quite found rhythm against Peshawar's disciplined attack.
While chasing, Haris and Babar set off in a hurry with a 75-run opening stand inside the first nine overs. Haris dominated the early exchanges, taking the Quetta's new-ball pair for five fours and a six in his 28-ball stay before falling in the ninth over caught by Shamyl Hussain off the captain Saud Shakeel for 35.
Babar then rebuilt with Kusal Mendis as the pair shared a 49-run second-wicket stand. The captain reached his half-century off 37 balls with seven boundaries and continued to find the rope at regular intervals as Peshawar inched closer to the target.
Mendis fell for 21 from 19 balls in the 16th over caught by Usman Tariq off Alzarri Joseph but Hardie joined his captain to see the chase through with a composed cameo of 18 not out from 14 balls.
Alzarri Joseph (4-0-32-1) and Saud Shakeel (3-0-23-1) were the only Quetta bowlers to take wickets on a tough evening for the Quetta attack.
Earlier, having been put in to bat, Quetta lost Ahsan Ali for four in the very first over caught off Iftikhar Ahmed (4-0-20-1). Captain Saud Shakeel briefly steadied the innings with 16 from 13 balls before being run out by Farhan Yousaf via Iftikhar Ahmed in the fifth over.
Rilee Rossouw and Hasan Nawaz then attempted to rebuild with a 23-run third-wicket stand before Sufyan Moqim struck in the eighth over, bowling Rossouw for 26. The left hander became the first foreign and fourth player overall to feature in 100 HBL PSL games.
Mohammad Basit then accounted for Shamyl Hussain caught by Aaron Hardie for 12 in the 12th over to leave Quetta 86 for four.
Khawaja Mohammad Nafay played a lone hand with 20 from 13 balls including a six but Sufyan trapped him leg-before-wicket in the 16th over with the score on 120 for six. Hasan, who had anchored the innings, fell to Basit for 37 in the 15th over before Tom Curran provided a late flourish with 15 from 10 balls.
Quetta's lower order folded quickly with Basit returning to remove Curran and Joseph in the 19th over before Usman Tariq was run out off the final delivery to bring the innings to a close at 154 all out.
Sufyan’s three-wicket haul brought him the laurel of becoming the first Pakistan bowler to take three or more wickets in five consecutive T20s. Apart from Basit’s three-for, Iftikhar Ahmed (4-0-20-1) continued his fine form with the ball.
Scores in brief:
Quetta Gladiators 154 all out, 20 overs (Hasan Nawaz 37, Rilee Rossouw 26, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay 20; Sufyan Moqim 3-25, Mohammad Basit 3-36)
Peshawar Zalmi 156-2, 18.3 overs (Babar Azam 71 not out, Mohammad Haris 35, Kusal Mendis 21)
