A brilliant hundred from Kamran Akmal and three wickets each for Wahab Riaz and Chris Jordan led Zalmi to a 24-run victory over Kings.

By Abdullah Ansari (5th March, 2017)

Peshawar Zalmi Team

Dawid Malan, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Hafeez, Marlon Samuels, Khushdil Shah, Darren Sammy*, Shahid Afridi, Chris Jordan, Hasan Ali, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Asghar.

Karachi Kings Team

Babar Azam, Chris Gayle, Kumar Sangakkara*, Shoaib Malik, Ravi Bopara, Kieron Pollard, Imad Wasim, Sohail Khan, Mohammad Amir, Usama Mir, Usman Khan Shinwari.

Sangakkara won the toss as Karachi went in with an unchanged team while Khushdil Shah made his debut for Peshawar Zalmi, replacing Haris Sohail. The start was slightly circumspect with 34 off the first 5 overs despite no wickets falling. Kamran built some momentum with three sixes in two overs off the spinners after the fifty partnership was raised and he soon reached a 33-ball fifty. Malan was the first one to be dismissed, caught at the boundary off Sohail for 36 after a 97-run partnership. Kamran was specially severe on Bopara's medium pace, hitting him for three sixes while Samuels played a good supporting hand in a quick-fire partnership. Kamran got to the first hundred of PSL 2 off 60 balls but was run out for 104 while Afridi was dismissed for a duck by Amir. The last three overs from Amir and Usman only yielded 21 as Zalmi finished at 181/3.

Karachi were off to a poor start once again as Babar was dismissed by Jordan after making just 1 off 7 balls. Gayle struggled and it took him 9 balls to get off the mark while Wahab got Sangakkara for 15 with a short delivery. Malik chipped one to mid-on for a duck and Bopara was stumped off Hafeez as Kings were reduced to 35/4. Gayle hit back with a couple of sixes off Afridi and the star all-rounder also suffered an injury, splitting the webbing on his right hand due to a stinging drive by Pollard. Gayle hit a couple more boundaries before Wahab got the better of him with a good yorker, dismissing him for 40 off 31. Pollard went on a rampage, hitting Asghar for two sixes then hit a couple of boundaries off Jordan but Hasan and Wahab returned for their second spells and bowled tight overs to peg back the batsmen despite Imad hitting a few boundaries. Wahab got Pollard as well, caught behind with a widish delivery while Hafeez took a good low catch to get Imad as Karachi's hopes faded away. Sammy bowled the last over and Peshawar sealed a 24-run win.

Next match: Quetta Gladiators vs Peshawar Zalmi

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