Published: Feb 19, 2017, 01:38 AM (IST)
Edited: Feb 19, 2017, 01:38 AM (IST)
Dwayne Smith’s unbeaten 72 off 59 helps Islamabad United overcome Peshawar Zalmi by 5 wickets in Match 12 of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2017 at Sharjah. With this win, United move to second in the table with 6 points from five games, while Zalmi slide to the third position with 5 points from five matches. Islamabad United never got going right from the beginning. They lost the first two wickets in three overs. Sam Billings, who batted at No. 4 stuck around with Dwayne Smith and stitched together a slow 30-run stand. After Billings departed for a 16-ball 11, Misbah-ul-Haq too joined him back into the pavilion for just 5. Full Cricket Updates: PSL 2017, Islamabad United vs Peshawar Zalmi
At 73 for 4 in the 13th over, United were slowly losing grip of the match. But that is when Shane Watson joined Smith at the crease. Smith played a mature innings, reaching his fifty off 42 deliveries. A stand of 63 runs between Smith and Watson eventually ensured United won the match off the final over. However, Watson was dismissed off the penultimate ball of the match attempting a second run to win the match. A brilliant throw from the substitute fielder brought Watson’s downfall for 30 off 22. Needing one to win off the final delivery, Amad Butt played the ball down the ground to hand United a win.
Earlier, a disciplined bowling effort from the Zalmi saw them restricting United to 136 for 9 in their 20 overs. While Eoin Morgan and Darren Sammy scored 28 and 20 respectively, Wahab Riaz stole the show by slamming Watson for 21 runs off the 18th over of the innings. Wahab bowled a fierce spell to Watson in the ICC World Cup 2015, but today showed his prowess with bat in hand. His 15-ball 23 ensured that Zalmi registered a score close to 140, which seemed a little difficult at one stage. It was United, who had won the toss initially and decided to bowl first.
Brief Scores:
Peshawar Zalmi 136 for 9 in 20 overs (Eoin Morgan 28, Wahab Riaz 23; ohammad Sami 3 for 26, Rumman Raees 2 for 19) lost to Islamabad United 137 for 5 in 20 overs (Dwayne Smith 72*, Shane Watson 30; Hasan Aml 1 for 17, Wahab Riaz 1 for 21) by 5 wickets.
