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LAHORE, Feb 18 (APP):A century stand of 157 in 92 balls between openers Jason Roy and Saud Shakeel helped Quetta Gladiators post a mammoth total of 206-5, which proved too big a target to overhaul for the Peshawar Zalmi batsmen who could score a brave 190-6 and lost the match by 16 runs in the HBL PSL 9 at the Gaddafi Stadium here on Sunday evening.
The Gladiators Jason Roy and Saud Shakeel used their bats as swords to cut through the Zalmi bowling and post first 200 plus total of the HBL PSL 9 on the board. Jason and Saud played identical knocks as they hit 75 (48) and 74 (47) runs respectively. They left little work for the rest of the batsmen as Sherfane Rutherford hit 20 runs off 13 balls while captain Rilee Rossouw managed 14 runs off 7 balls before he was bowled by debutant Muhmmad Zeeshan.
Asked to bast first by the Peshawar Zalmi captain Babar Azam under overcast skies, Jason Roy and Saud Shakeel took full advantage of a placid batting-friendly pitch and put the Zalmi bowlers to the sword and they reached the first 50 in 28 balls while both the batsmen scored 100 partnership in 60 balls. Both the openers reached the third fifty partnership of the Quetta innings yet again in 28 balls as the team reached 150 runs in 14.2 overs.
Saim Ayub, who bats the middle order in the longer version of the game, was promoted to open the innings with the seasoned batsman Jason Roy and played an electric innings laced with six boundaries and four 6s. Similarly, Jason Roy smashed 11 hits across the fence including nine boundaries and two 6s in an innings. Saud Shakeel was adjudged Player of the Match for his scintilating knock of 74 runs.
The helter skelter Zalmi bowling attack lost the script from the beginning and they failed to impress and Babar had to ask part-timer Saim Ayub bowl three overs of off-break bowling (3-0-34-0) after Aamer Jamal conceded 29 runs in two overs. Aamer Jamal, batting all-rounder Dan Mousley and Saim Ayub conceded 95 runs off the eight over they bowled. Salman Irshad (4-0-38-3) claimed three wickets for 38 runs while Luke Wood claimed one wicket for as 39 runs. Muhammad Zeeshan, who debuted for Peshawar Zalmi, took the maiden scalp for 38 runs.
Babar Azam, at the post-match press conference, accepted the fact that Peshawar Zalmi missed second specialist spinner in the team for the match.
Peshawar Zalmi looked well on way to chase down the huge target when openers Babar Azam and Saim Ayub scored 91 runs off 50 balls for the opening partnership and kept the required run-rate under control as long as Babar Azam was on the wicket. After Babar’s fall at the start of the 16th over with the team total at 147-3, Cadmore and Rovman Powell could not keep pace with the required run-rate. Cadmore departed in the same over when he fell to the guile of Abrar Ahmed.
Mohammad Amir, in the post-match press conference, said that the fall of Babar Azam and Tom Kohler-Cadmore in the 16th over was the turning point of the match and put Quetta Gladiators in charge.
Power-hitter Asif Ali came to the crease quite late and could score unbeaten 2 runs off 3 balls while Aamer Jamal hit 7 n.o.
Gladiators bowling proved too good to handle for the Zalmi batsmen in the end and the credit must go to Mohammad Amir, playing his first match for the Gladiators, who bowled with guile and control and conceded 29 runs in his quota of four overs besides claiming the vital scalp of Rovman Powell who scored 17 off 9 balls. Abrar Ahmed was the other successful bowler who bagged two wickets for 29 runs. Akeal Hosein and Muhmmad Wasim Jr. claimed one wicket each for 38 and 49 runs respectively. Muhammad Hasnain bowled four wicketless overs for 41 runs.
The third match of the HBL PSL 9 is scheduled to be played at the Multan Cricket Stadium between Multan Sultans and Karachi Kings at 7 p.m. tonight.