Quetta vs Peshawar: Limping Sammy steals the day
The third season of the Pakistan Super League got its first close contest on Thursday night. The contest
looked evenly matched from start to end, with Quetta losing after one too many hiccups.
Shane Watson, with five sixes in his 47 of 32 balls, certainly threatened to take the game away but Zalmi
still managed to to restrict them to below 150. Sammy bowled well for his 2-21 but had to leave his
overs incomplete with a calf injury. Wahab Riaz looked fiery with some fast Yorkers.
Quetta were deprived of another six runs, when Anwar Ali cleared the boundary in the last over but
nudged the stumps with his foot to be out hit wicket. Quetta put in a moderate 141/8 on the board; a
defendable, but still modest total according to the conditions. The stage was set for a thriller.
Peshawar started well, with wickets falling at regular but not small intervals. Tamim Iqbal was fourth out
for 36 of 38 balls, his strike rate’s dip below 100 ensured that the game would make it to the final over.
When Sammy did not come out to bat at no. 6, even the commentators wondered if the injury had all
but cost Zalmi the match. However, the fifth wicket fell, bringing a limping Sammy to the center with 17
required of 9.
However, Sammy meant business. The four balls he faced went 6,6, dot and 4 with Khalid Usman doing
well to pass Sammy the strike. The injury was well confined to the calf only. Zalmi won with two balls to
spare, the last runs coming of Anwar Ali’s bowling, ESPNCricinfo called it, Anwar’s rotten day.
