2620dThe Report by Danyal Rasool

Vintage Afridi knock puts Peshawar in first place

Shahid Afridi turned back the clock with a brisk 45 not out to take Peshawar Zalmi past Quetta Gladiators by two wickets and into first place on the PSL table

Match Centre

Commentator: Akshay Gopalakrishnan

So this is how things stand as we come to the end of a manic Saturday. Peshawar Zalmi have moved up to top position. Quetta are second for now, but they may not stay there for long. If they have to stay there, they will need Islamabad to lose to Karachi tomorrow. If Islamabad win, they will occupy top position, making the first qualifying final between them and Peshawar Zalmi. If Karachi win by a big enough margin, they can finish ahead of Islamabad on third. A narrow win, on the other hand, will do nothing to change either team's position. That's a lot that has changed in the course of a day and can change by the end of tomorrow. It has been a PSL full of heart-racing moments and finishes and here's hoping we can have more of them as the knockouts loom. Do join us tomorrow then for what should be an interesting clash between Karachi and Islamabad. Until then, goodbye!

Amar Jutt: " Pollard,Pieterson, Afridi..!! Old guns started firing...!!"

Asad: "PSL..... It's like vine.. getting better with time :P"

Devrath: "45 off 23 and 4-1-22-0. How's Afridi not the man of the match? "

Darren Sammy - We just keep providing that sort of entertainment. Credit to the guys for the way they went out and bowled. Asghar bowled really well and we put them on the backfoot right away. Afridi held his nerve and played an unbelievable innings. It is something we have not done too often. Our bowling has been carrying us through the tournament. Hopefully, we save our best for the knockout matches. It takes only a few good minutes and few good balls to turn it around. We set out wanting to finish in the top two and we have achieved that. Hopefully, we can go a step further.

Sarfaraz Ahmed - In cricket, every time you lose, you learn. The way our bowlers fought was gladdening and it was a good match overall. In both matches, we were in a good position. We have been making a few mistakes and will try to cut down on the errors. Both our bowling and batting have been good, it's just the small mistakes that have been affecting us.

Asghar - I would like to thank God, and with my parents' grace, I was able to do well. I was able to contribute on the field with a run out and pick up wickets as well. Darren Sammy gives me a lot of confidence. The wicket was spinning and I was bowling to my strengths.

Mohammad Asghar is the Man of the Match for his 3 for 33

11.35pm Incredible scenes as Hasan Ali raises his arms in triumph and the Peshawar boys charge out from their dugout to congratulate their hero. Where this match was going and how it has changed! Surely, this is not how it was supposed to end. 52 for 6 in a chase of 129 and who would have thought that they'd not only chase it down but do so with four balls to spare. But that is Shahid Afridi for you. The old hero steps up when his team needed him to the most.Don't forget the two fours from Hasan Ali. This young man has impressed one and all during the course of this PSL. That cover drive was one for the ages and he will play that in his head over and over. Spare a thought for Tymal Mills. What a spell he bowled, generating pace and bounce on what was supposed to be a spinner's paradise. 3.4 overs, 11 runs and three wickets. That was his assessment as he was nearing the end of his spell. Until those three balls changed everything. That's how cruel T20 cricket can be and how quickly it can change. Mills still finished with impressive figures of 3 for 20, but unfortunately for him and his team, it did not suffice.

Awais Iqbal: "Shahid Afridiiiiiii! Take a bow, Legend."

Zeeshan: "In PSL you cant give verdict till the last ball...especially in last few matches..Afridi real entertainer."

AHSAN RAJA: "Hasan Ali should be the man of the match for hitting mills 2 boundaries :-)"

Ankush: "Both Pollard and Afridi hit boundaries off last two balls and eventually made 45 not out.. What a co-incidence!!"

juni: "afridi and last over 4 4 better lovestory than any great game of cricket from both sides .love psl ."

19.2
4
Mahmudullah to Shahid Afridi, FOUR, and that will be the game. What a heist from Zalmi. And Afridi the man. He never ceases to amaze and he has played a superb innings and pulled a rabbit out of the hat here. Slightly short of good length outside off and Afridi slaps it past the diving cover-point fielder
19.1
4
Mahmudullah to Shahid Afridi, FOUR, short and wide outside off, poor delivery. Afridi moves towards room to make himself room and crashes it square of the wicket, through backwar dpoint and into the boundary

Here is Mahmudullah, the last-over veteran. He has six to defend

Saim Polani: "Enough is enough, i cant handle so many thrillers in a single season of PSL."

END OF OVER:
19 | 11 Runs 1 Wkt | PZ: 122/8 (7 runs required from 6 balls, RR: 6.42, RRR: 7.00)

  • Hasan Ali8 (3b)
  • Shahid Afridi37 (21b)
  • Tymal Mills4-0-20-3
  • Mohammad Nawaz4-0-32-1
18.6
4
Mills to Hasan Ali, FOUR, lucky boundary. Bowls it at good pace and that proves to be the undoing of Mills here. Short and outside off. Hasan slashes hard and swings wildly. The ball takes the top edge and it goes over the third man region, one-bounce and into the boundary. What a spell this was from Mills and it has gone horribly wrong in the last two balls
18.6
1w
Mills to Hasan Ali, 1 wide, overcompensates after giving him room outside off in the previous ball. Short of a length and tries to cramp him for room by firing it on leg, only that the drift takes it further down and it is down the leg side
18.5
4
Mills to Hasan Ali, FOUR, what a shot! That is a glorious cover drive. Is that the shot of the night or what! Full ball just outside off, right in the slot for Hasan and he lays into a cover drive. Sarfaraz watches it and grimaces. Half-volley outside off and what a time to be playing that shot. Glorious

Naseef: "Stayed awake because Afridi is still out there. I guess some things will never change!! BOOM BOOM FOREVER!! Come on Afridi, this game isn't over yet!!"

18.4
0
Mills to Hasan Ali, no run, pushes him back by generating pace. It's short of a length and the batsman jumps back to ride the bounce before bunting it straight back to the bowler

Tanveer: "Afridi will finish it earlier than pollard ."

Zalmi 2nd innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st38Kamran AkmalTamim Iqbal
2nd12Kamran AkmalMN Samuels
3rd1Kamran AkmalMohammad Hafeez
4th1Mohammad HafeezShakib Al Hasan
5th0Mohammad HafeezSohaib Maqsood
6th0Mohammad HafeezDJG Sammy
7th37Shahid AfridiMohammad Hafeez
8th24Shahid AfridiWahab Riaz
9th17Shahid AfridiHasan Ali

Pakistan Super League

TeamMWLPTNRR
PZ84390.309
QG84390.166
KK8448-0.098
IU8448-0.139
LQ8356-0.223