Quetta reach PSL final with dramatic 1-run win over Peshawar

Barnaby Read 00:43 20/02/2016
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  • Quetta's win sees them reach the final.

    Peshawar looked to be heading to an unlikely victory thanks to the late hitting of Darren Sammy (38 from 28) and Wahab Riaz until Aizaz Cheema produced a devastating final over that went for just six runs and resulted in two wickets.

    Peshawar looked out of the game, needed 35 from the last three overs until first Sammy and then Wahab plundered boundaries that took their side to the brink.

    Quetta held their nerve, however, to record their second last ball win in a row thanks to the superb efforts of Cheema, Mohammad Nawaz (3-27) and Grant Elliott (3-19).

    Both teams went into the first qualifier with a record of six wins from eight group games, looking to assure themselves of a final place without the need of entering a second qualifier on Saturday night.

    And having won the toss and decided to bowl first, Shahid Afridi’s men looked in total command early on as Quetta’s hometown hero Bismillah Khan was bowled second ball by Hasan Ali without scoring.

    Both openers were removed inside four overs, Ahmed Shehzad stumped by Kamran Akmal off Mohammad Asghar, leaving Quetta reeling at 11-2.

    It looked as if the Gladiators would rue overlooking fit again Luke Wright who was ready for selection having missed their win over Lahore Qalandars in the final group game.

    However, star men Kumar Sangakkara (37) and Kevin Pietersen (53) came together for a 79-run partnership that steadied the ship before the Sri Lankan was superbly caught at long off by Zalmi debutant Jonny Bairstow.

    The setback did not seem to halt Pietersen, who raced to his first fifty of the tournament from 34 balls, an innings that included five fours and two sixes.

    The discarded England international played one shot too many though, miss-timing an attempted flick over the leg-side to hand Shaun Tait his first wicket.

    It left the Gladiators 106-5, one ball into the 15th over and in dire need of quick runs with both time and batsmen running out.

    Nawaz made a breezy 20 from 18 balls, including two lusty blows over the ropes but by the time he became Tait’s second victim, Quetta were limping along at 122-6 off 17.

    Once Wahab took two wickets and a run-out from the first three balls of the final over, Quetta were 133 all-out and looked some way off a par score, losing their last five wickets for just 11 runs.

    In reply, Lahore moved from cautious to panicked and desperate in alarming fashion as Mohammad Hafeez and Kamran Akmal started patiently but ended up hesitant in pursuit of the modest looking total.

    Akmal was first to depart for a sluggish 9 from 13 balls, opening the flood gates as Nawaz removed him and Brad Hodge with consecutive deliveries.

    Debutant Jonny Bairstow – drafted in this week – and Shahid Yousuf looked to put the pieces back together for Peshawar but the run-rate continued to climb.

    The pair had put on 26 for the fourth wicket when Bairstow was bowled by Grant Elliot for 15, taking Peshawar to 57-4 at the end of the 11th over.

    Yousuf fell ten balls later for 15, his wicket bringing Afridi to the crease alongside Sammy, with the stage set for the Peshawar captain to delight the Dubai faithful with a trademark innings full of fireworks.

    It wasn’t to be, however, Afridi holing out for just 2 and Peshawar eventually falling agonisingly short.

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