Peshawar snatches 4-run victory over table-topper Multan in PSL
RAWALPINDI, Pakistan (AP) — Iftikhar Ahmed’s blistering 60 off 27 balls went in vain as Peshawar Zalmi snatched a four-run victory over table-topper Multan Sultans in the Pakistan Super League on Tuesday.
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Peshawar is the only franchise in Pakistan’s premier domestic T20 tournament that has beaten Multan twice this season.
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Multan has already qualified for the playoffs with six wins from eight games and Peshawar moved closer to a place in the final four with nine points and two games in hand.
Peshawar required 58 off the last three overs when Ahmed and Chris Jordan (30 not out) countercharged against seamers Aamer Jamal, Naveen-ul-Haq and Salman Irshad before falling short at 200-5.
Earlier, captain Babar Azam continued his sublime form after winning the toss and smashed 64 off 40 balls. Left-handed batter Saim Ayub made 46 off 22 balls in Peshawar’s strong total of 204-5 as both batters put on season’s highest total of 71 runs in the power play.
Babar and Ayub smacked Multan’s pace and spin as they raised a rapid 84-run stand at 12-an-over.
Ayub was ruthless against pace with his trademark big shots on the on side as he hit five sixes and three fours before he was trapped leg before wicket by tournament’s top wicket-taker Usama Mir (3-32) in his first over.
Mir leads the bowling chart with 18 wickets, but his team-mate Mohammad Ali, who has 14 wickets, had a forgetful day at the Pindi Cricket Stadium against Ayub and Babar as he returned with expensive figures of 0-46 off his three overs.
Mir pulled back Peshawar with his sharp leg-breaks as he dismissed Tom Kohler-Cadmore (5) and then got the key wicket of Babar in his last over by clean bowling the premier batter before Rovman Powell (23) and Jamal (12) played little cameos in the last five overs.
Multan’s top-order struggled against rookie left-arm spinner Mehran Mumtaz, who bowled with lot of confidence in the power play and had Reeza Hendricks (5) caught off his own bowling in his debut PSL over.
Captain Mohammad Rizwan (32) couldn’t beat Jamal’s throw off his follow through while Asif Ali timed his jump to perfection on the edge of the boundary and plucked a brilliant catch to dismiss Dawid Malan (19) in the 12th over.
But Ahmed and Jordan nearly pulled off a victory for Multan with their blazing 75-run stand off just 28 balls before Peshawar pacers hung in the last three overs.
