[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text dp_text_size=”size-4″]MULTAN: Peshawar Zalmi were pursuing the goal despite Multan Sultan’s high demand. Young Zalmi batsmen Mohammad Haris and Saim Ayub were undeterred as they continued to fire with some bold variety of strokes after losing their captain Babar Azam early in the game as they chased down a huge 211-run total, which was fueled by Rilee Rossouw’s unrelenting performance for the hosts.
But after Haris was out, the rest of the Zalmi lineup collapsed like dominoes, and the team ultimately lost their HBL Pakistan Super League game on Friday at the Multan Cricket Stadium by a score of 56 runs. It might not have been as unpleasant for the Peshawar team if Haris had lost his wicket while attempting to go for another huge hit after scoring 40 off 23 thanks to four sixes and a four. When Abbas Afridi’s direct hit terminated the right-handed opener’s time in the middle during the ninth over, he had gotten too far away from the crease at the non-end. striker’s
Usama Mir, a leg-spinner, was inserted in the eleventh over by Multan captain Mohammad Rizwan as he noticed that the batters were struggling with the lack of pace. As English striker Tom Kohler-Cadmore mistimed a half-tracker to find Carlos Brathwaite at the deep square leg, the right-armer went on to reject the in-form forward.
Usama returned to misdirect Bhanuka Rajapaksa with a flighted delivery, forcing the Sri Lankan left-hander to mistime a shot into the hands of Kieron Pollard placed at long off before the spinner cleaned bowled Saim, leaving Peshawar reeling at 134-6 and needing 76 off the final five overs. This came after Abbas had forced Rovman Powell to find David Miller in the deep after the West Indies batter had hit two sixe Usama had at that point amassed 3-22 in four overs. Abbas Afridi added another wicket to his total with the dismissals of Jimmy Neesham, Wahab Riaz, and Brathwaite. Multan’s rising pacer Ihsanullah ended the match with the final wicket for just 20 runs.
Earlier, once Babar had given Multan the opportunity to play, it was all about Rossouw, who savaged the Peshawar bowlers for 75 off just 36 balls after stepping in to open the batting in the eighth over after a 54-run opening stand between him and Rizwan.
The South African played a variety of shots all over the ground, hitting 12 fours and two sixes while appearing ready for anything that was thrown at him. He outperformed Rizwan, who contributed significantly with 66 off 42, an innings that contained nine boundaries and a six.
The next over, against the medium pace of Jimmy Neesham, Shan similarly played across his pads for his first boundary. The next over, against Khurram, he played a similar stroke with the same result. Once against playing over the fine leg fielder in the inner circle for four, Rizwan increased the pressure on Khurram. It was a no ball, much to the pacer’s chagrin. Rizwan then used the subsequent free hit to punish him by dropping a big six to the floor. Multan has a 50-0 record during the power play. After adding 20 runs, Salman Irshad came into the game in the following over, and Peshawar made their first breakthrough when Shan attempted to scoop the slinging pacer and was caught behind by wicketkeeper Haris.
Rossouw, who was coming in, ended Salman’s over with a stunning cover drive for his maiden boundary. Multan reached 83-1 at the midway point thanks to his four additional boundaries in the following two overs against young spinner Sufiyan Muqeem and Khurram.
Rizwan hit two more boundaries off Sufiyan before reaching his second consecutive fifty with a single off the left-armer. Before ultimately leaving when he skied a straighter one by Sufiyan for Haris to take an easy catch, the cunning Rizwan nudged Salman about the waist and lifted him over mid-on for another couple of fours in the following over.
Rossouw was not about to let the firing of his partner to affect him negatively. The big southpaw played a lofted straight shot for another boundary after launching Sufiyan for a stunning six. With two more fours off Salman—one guided past the short third man and one shuffled over to knock through midwicket—he reached fifty.
In the 17th over, Rossouw widened the face of his bat to force Khurram through point and find the opening at midwicket for two successive boundaries. Miller then joined the celebration after the left-hander pushed the New Zealander beyond point for his maiden boundary before ending the over with a huge six over the fence off Neesham, who had given him his second six.
The arriving Kieron Pollard launched Wahab for a high and long six on his first ball and managed a four off the next ball, which was a free shot, before some careless fielding by Peshawar brought them to 210-3 after Salman had bowled an economical penultimate over in which he also caught Rossouw lbw.
Haris responded by hitting a stunning six over midwicket off Khushdil Shah in the first over to give Peshawar a strong start. Prior to slicing for another run in the following over, the teenage right-hander lofted pacer Sameen Gul for a significant maximum. If Multan had taken advantage of an opportunity when Haris skied Khushdil and Ihsanullah dropped an easy catch, they might have been comfortably up in the game. Haris persisted in
When Multan introduced Ihsanullah, whose yorker struck Babar’s pads, the batter was ruled out after a review and the team made their first progress. Thanks to the entering Saim, who hit a square drive for a four off Ihsanullah before hooking the bowler for his maiden six, the dismissal had no effect on Peshawar’s advancement in the powerplay. As the scoreboard read 61-1 at the conclusion of the powerplay, he sent Brathwaite for a second six, this time over long-on.
In the following over, Saim sent Abbas packing for a maximum with a ramp shot over the wicketkeeper, and Haris then pulled the medium pacer for another six. Ihsanullah was welcomed back by Saim with four in front of cover, but their blazing partnership of 47 fell short.
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