PSL 2018, Match 10 Review: Peshawar Zalmi clinch an absolute thriller

The Gladiators seemed to be in control of the game before skipper Darren Sammy intervened and helped Peshawar Zalmi clinch a thriller. Coming on the back of a thumping win, the Gladiators posted a below-par total and though they bowled really well, some lapse of concentration towards the end cost them big time.

Batting first, they lost the experienced campaigner Asad Shafiq very early in the game. The onus was on Shane Watson to give his side a good start and he did so by hitting a few big sixes. Sharjah is usually a small ground but Watson’s hits would’ve gone over the boundary on any track. It was an absolute gem coming from his bat.

Umar Amin and Watson added 50 runs for the second wicket and the former’s contribution was just 11 runs. When both these players got dismissed in a span of 5 balls, that’s when they fell in real trouble. Kevin Pietersen, who got some decent starts in this season, failed to get another one and the Gladiators found themselves at 83/4 in 12.1 overs.

Rilee Rossouw provided the much-needed boost to the innings. He smashed a 25-ball 37, which was priceless in those circumstances. He stitched 42 runs in 26 balls with the skipper Sarfraz Ahmed and they bolstered their command over the innings. Just when people thought they’ll end up with a huge total, the bowlers came back with some quick wickets.

Eventually, all they could manage was 141 runs for the loss of 9 wickets. Wahab Riaz bowled a gem of a spell, returning with figures of 2/16. Umaid Asif and Darren Sammy too returned with braces for the Zalmi.

Sammy finishes off in style!

Tamim Iqbal was struggling to find his rhythm with the bat and failed to accumulate runs at a good speed. But after Kamran Akmal fell in the 4th over, Dwayne Smith took charge and got his side off to flying start. They ran past the 50 run mark with the scoring rate well over 8.5 and although it was the Powerplay, the game seemed to head one-sided.

But the bowlers came back strongly to tighten the screws. The Australian duo of Shane Watson and John Hastings bowled beautifully in the middle overs and picked up some very crucial wickets. After Dwayne Smith’s wicket, Mohammad Hafeez and Tamim added a big partnership for the 3rd wicket, which unfortunately was a bit too slow.

They added 54 runs in 53 balls which meant the required run-rate crept up. The game was heading very close to a breathtaking finish as wickets kept tumbling and the scoring rate deteriorated further. It came down to a situation for they needed 16 runs in 7 balls and a certain Darren Sammy was facing his first ball.

He bludgeoned the ball with a high backlift and the cherry floated in the sky for a long time before going into the crowd. Khalid Usman hit a single off the first ball of the final over and Sammy was back on strike with 9 needed in 5 balls. He hit a six and a dot ball followed. With three needed in 2 balls, he hit a boundary and the entire Zalmi side was on the ground celebrating it with their skipper. Sammy went bonkers after that winning stroke and why not? He provided one of the best moments in PSL history.

After the victory, Sammy took to Twitter and came up with a tweet in Pashto, “Nan ma d zarah na loba wakra. Zaka che zama zarah Pekhawar zalmi sara day. Zawand ao marg mo yao day. Tar akhree salgy ba warsra maidan ke walar yem” (Today I have played this game with all my heart because my heart is with Peshawar Zalmi, Life and death is same for me And I’ll stand & fight till my last breathe on battle field.)

Brief Scores

Quetta Gladiators: 141/8 in 20 overs (Shane Watson 47, Rilee Rossouw 37; Wahab Riaz 2/16, Darren Sammy 2/21, Umaid Asif 2/18)

Peshawar Zalmi: 143/5 in 19.4 overs (Tamim Iqbal 36; Shane Watson 1/16)

Player of the match: Darren Sammy

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