Malik sizzles as Peshawar tame Quetta in HBL PSL

KARACHI: In a clash of HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) titans, it was Peshawar Zalmi who came out victorious in a rain-curtailed match of season 5 in Rawalpindi on Thursday night.

It was cold and it was wet the Pindi stadium, but veteran all-rounder Shoaib Malik was in full flow as he hit a sparkling fifty to hand Peshawar a big 30-run triumph.

It was a much-needed win for Peshawar, who now move to the third place on the PSL points table after comfortably winning the match which was reduced to 15 overs a side because of inclement weather.

Peshawar were always ahead in the encounter featuring two of the most successful teams in PSL history after amassing 170-6 from 15 overs. They didn’t begin well as Imam-ul-Haq fell cheaply but fellow opener Kamran Akmal set the tone with a breezy 12-ball 23 which included two sixes.

But it was the pair of Malik and Haider Ali who really lifted the Peshawar innings as the two put on a quickfire stand of 54 runs. Haider hit two sixes and four fours in his 24-ball 39. Malik, meanwhile, continued hitting the Quetta bowlers all over the park and top-scored with 54 from 27 balls with the help of eight fours and a six.

Young pacer Mohammad Hasnain was the pick of Quetta bowlers finishing with 4-34 that included the prized scalps of Malik and Haider. In reply, Quetta could just managed 140-7 from their 15 overs despite a 26-ball 45 from opener Jason Roy. But apart from Roy, the other Quetta batsmen were just unable to cope with a fiery spell from Wahab Riaz, who ripped through the batting line-up. Wahab, who has been recently promoted as Peshawar captain, took 3-21 while Rahat Ali bagged 2-34 as the Peshawar bowlers proved too good for Quetta’s batters.

Quetta Gladiators won toss

Peshawar Zalmi

Kamran Akmal c Roy b Hasnain 23

Imam-ul-Haq c Sarfraz b Sohail 7

Haider Ali c Watson b Hasnain 39

Shoaib Malik b Hasnain 54

LS Livingstone c Sohail b Hasnain 12

L Gregory not out 19

LA Dawson c Roy b Cutting 0

Hasan Ali not out 9

Extras (b 1, lb 2, nb 1, w 3) 7

Total (6 wickets, 15 overs) 170

Did not bat: *Wahab Riaz, Yasir Shah, Rahat Ali

Fall: 1-9, 2-39, 3-93, 4-134, 5-139, 6-143

Bowling: Naseem 2-0-6-0, Sohail 3-0-38-1, Mills 3-0-33-0, Hasnain 3-0-34-4, Nawaz 2-0-26-0, Cutting 2-0-30-1

Quetta Gladiators

JJ Roy b Yasir 45

SR Watson c Livingstone b Hasan 19

Ahmed Shehzad c Malik b Wahab 10

BCJ Cutting c Livingstone b Wahab 17

Mohammad Nawaz c Imam b Rahat 18

Azam Khan c Gregory b Rahat 0

*Sarfraz Ahmed b Wahab 1

Sohail Khan not out 16

TS Mills not out 4

Extras (lb 4, w 6) 10

Total (7 wickets, 15 overs) 140

Yet to bat: Naseem Shah, Mohammad Hasnain

Fall: 1-45, 2-75, 3-99, 4-99, 5-103, 6-117, 7-119

Bowling: Wahab 3-0-21-3, Rahat 3-0-34-2, Hasan 3-0-15-1, Yasir 3-0-28-1, Gregory 3-0-38-0

Result: Peshawar Zalmi won by 30 runs

Man of the Match: Shoaib Malik (PZ)

Umpires: Ranmore Martinesz (Sri Lanka) and Tariq Rasheed (Pakistan). TV Umpire: Rashid Riaz (Pakistan)