MATCH REPORT
Follow UsA total of 390 runs were scored in Match 5 of Pakistan Super League 2021 as Peshawar Zalmi defeated Multan Sultans by six wickets at the National Stadium, Karachi on Tuesday (February 23). James Vince (55-ball 84), Mohammad Rizwan (28-ball 41) and Sohaib Maqsood (21-ball 36) were all amongst runs, but it was still not enough, as Peshawar chased down the target of 194 with an over to spare.
Every single batsman - Tom Kohler-Cadmore (32-ball 53), Imam-ul-Haq (39-ball 48), Kamran Akmal (24-ball 37) and Haider Ali (8-ball 24*) - played their part at different stages of the innings. The likes of Sherfane Rutherford and Shoaib Malik too chipped in with handy cameos and helped their team get the better of Multan. Debutant Shahnawaz Dahani bowled his heart out but was taken for cleaners in his final over. However, the experienced campaigners - Sohail Tanvir and Carlos Brathwaite - once again let the team, despite their batsmen putting enough runs on the board for the second game in a row.
CLASSY VINCE!
Having scored just 1 in the opening encounter against Islamabad United, Chris Lynn once again failed to deliver as he perished for an identical score. Making his debut for Peshawar, Mohammad Irfan got one to nip away a bit and sucked Lynn into a big drive away from his body. The right-hander was caught at first slip, and the onus was once again on in-form Rizwan and Vince to do the bulk of the scoring. The wicketkeeper-batsman whipped Mohammad Imran to get the ball rolling and played his shots from the word go.
Rizwan was lucky on a couple of occasions, with an outside edge flying over deep third man for a maximum, while one of his mistimed shots fell just short of the fielder at mid-wicket. Vince however looked in fine touch and announced his arrival with a couple of boundaries off Irfan. It was Rizwan who took the attack to the Peshawar bowlers once the powerplay ended. The Multan skipper greeted his opposite number Wahab Riaz with an outstanding pick-up flick for a six and also didn't allow Mujeeb Ur Rahman to settle in.
Peshawar were on the backfoot but the time-out did the trick for them, as Rizwan was undone by a superb back-of-a-hand slower delivery from Imran. Wahab (0/51) looked out of touch as he was smacked for three consecutive fours by Maqsood. The dynamic right-hander then went after Irfan and took some pressure off Vince. Irfan, who only conceded 12 runs in his first spell, leaked 29 in his last two overs. Vince brought up his fifty off 39 deliveries but allowed Maqsood to dominate the partnership. Mujeeb (0/40) was way off-colour and bowled quite a few freebies.
Having been in solid form in domestic cricket, Maqsood got those big hits, before Vince too joined the party. The classy right-hander from England played some delightful shots through the off-side and put on 71 runs with Maqsood. The latter slammed four fours and two maximums before falling to Saqib Mahmood (2/36). Rilee Rossouw (8-ball 14*) smoked a couple of lusty blows but it was Vince who put Peshawar on the mat in the first innings. The 29-year-old crafted nine fours and three sixes before getting dismissed by Mahmood in the penultimate over. Imran (1/24) was impressive, but apart from him, every Peshawar bowler took a severe beating.
A DOMINATING RUN CHASE
There was scoreboard pressure on Akmal and Imam and that allowed Dahani to bowl with freedom and sheer pace. Tanvir however was inconsistent with his line and length and both the openers pounced on him. There were a couple of wide deliveries that were slapped for four and the left-arm seamer ended up leaking 21 in his first two overs. Akmal whacked Tanvir for a six and a four in the same over but struggled against Dahani. The 22-year-old paceman bowled with terrific energy and kept Akmal on the backfoot after smashing him on his helmet.
The wicketkeeper-batsman however recovered well, and along with Imam, kept the scoreboard moving. Imam looked comfortable from the word go but it was Akmal who stole all the limelight in the powerplay. The 39-year-old clobbered Brathwaite for consecutive boundaries before smashing Shahid Afridi for a six and a four in the final over of the powerplay. Usman Qadir was introduced into the attack straight after the powerplay and the legspinner got Multan the first breakthrough by getting rid of dangerous Akmal.
Coming in at 3, Kohler-Cadmore blasted Afridi for back-to-back boundaries and kept the required rate under control. The two kept finding boundaries at regular intervals and got the equation down to 103 off 60. Imam didn't shy away from taking a backseat and allowed Kohler-Cadmore to dictate terms. The 26-year-old from England was particularly aggressive against Afridi who finished with figures of 0/38. Kohler-Cadmore batted with intent and played shots all around the wicket.
With 61 needed off 30, Imam was run out against the run of play but Multan couldn't capitalise on it. Tanvir, who didn't have a great outing against Islamabad, once again struggled big time and was whacked for 19 runs in his third over by Rutherford. The left-hander from Guyana was sent in as a pinch-hitter and smoked 15 off 6 deliveries to take some pressure off Kohler-Cadmore. Tanvir looked out of place but young Dahani didn't, as he got rid of dangerous Rutherford. Kohler-Cadmore was composed and brought up his fifty with a maximum down the ground. Dahani however got his revenge in the same over and dismissed Kohler-Cadmore to keep Multan in the game.
Just when it looked like Multan were back in the game, Haider Ali played a match-winning cameo and got Peshawar over the line with six deliveries to spare. Dahani, who was outstanding in his first three overs, was smashed for 24 in his final over, with Haider Ali and Malik smacking him for three sixes in the 19th over.
