PSL 2017: Darren Sammy’s Peshawar Zalmi win title, hearts in Lahore finale

The final brought a lot of smiles for people of Lahore and Pakistan, who finally got a piece of what always belonged to them. As clichéd as it may sound, it was not Peshawar who won, but it was cricket that was the ultimate winner.

An inspirational Darren Sammy led Peshawar Zalmi to title win in the second edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL) in Lahore on Sunday. After being asked to bat first, Zalmi posted 148 for 6 in the stipulated 20 overs. Kamran Akmal (40) starred with bat once again, while others in the Zalmi top-order chipped in with vital contributions. There was a brief middle-order slump before Sammy’s late blitzkrieg of 11-ball 28 not out guided Zalmi to a competitive total. In reply, a listless Quetta Gladiators were never in the contest as the Peshawar Zalmi bowlers kept them under the pump from the beginning, taking wickets at regular intervals. In the end, Peshawar Zalmi prevailed by 58 runs. Live Cricket Updates, Peshawar Zalmi vs Quetta Gladiators, PSL 2 Final

Quetta were under pressure from the beginning. Their new opening pair for the final did not quite work, as Morne van Wyk was run out for 1. He had come all the way to Lahore for this one game, just like Sean Ervine, Anamul Haque and Rayad Emrit, who had replaced the first-choice overseas players Kevin Pietersen, Luke Wright, Tymal Mills and Rilee Rossouw. Quetta missed their preferred overseas players dearly as their batting crumbled in the high voltage final.

Anamul was the next to go, and Ahmed Shehzad soon followed him to the pavilion. The score read 13 for 3. Skipper Sarfraz Ahmed hit a few boundaries but perhaps played one shot too many; he was stumped for 11-ball 22. Saad Nasim then fell cheaply, putting Quetta innings in further disarray. A brief stand between Anwar Ali and Ervine followed but sustained pressure created by Peshawar attack pinned the Gladiators down.

18-year-old left-arm spinner Mohammad Asghar was the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 16. Hasan Ali and Wahab Riaz ended the match with identical figures of 2 for 13 each, while Mohammad Hafeez and Chris Jordan took a wicket each to fold up Quetta for 90.

Earlier, in a perfect setting — a bustling home crowd in a jam-packed Gaddafi Stadium behind them ­— Sarfraz won the toss and asked Sammy and co. to bat first. “It is a hard pitch with some cracks. The ball will come onto the bat and there are no signs of dew,” Bazid Khan had said earlier while assessing the pitch. The team winning the toss, thus, should have looked to bat first without any doubt. However, Sarfraz had other ideas, as he thought dew will come into play later on and thus decided to field first.

His decision was rendered ineffective by the in-form Peshawar openers. Both Kamran and Dawid Malan got their side off to a flyer before Emrit dismissed Malan. Marlon Samuels, who has had a great record in T20 finals, added 40 runs with Kamran before he fell for 19. Peshawar then suffered from a middle order slump as they went from 82 for 1 to 112 for 6 before Sammy and Jordan guided them to 148.

The match was well organised by all the stakeholders — the PCB, Punjab and central government, the PSL governing council, the franchise owners, the security agencies, the overseas players who made it to Lahore and last but not the least, by the fans who turned out in huge numbers. The match may eventually not change the perception regarding Pakistan’s current security scenario, but it certainly brought a lot of smiles on the people of Lahore and Pakistan, who finally got a piece of what always belonged to them. As clichéd as it may sound, it was not Peshawar who won tonight, but it was cricket that was the ultimate winner.

Brief scores:

Peshawar Zalmi 148 for 6 (Kamran Akmal 40, Darren Sammy 28*; Rayad Emrit 3 for 31, Hasan Khan 2 for 34) beat Quetta Gladiators 90 (Sean Ervine 24, Sarfraz Ahmed 22; Mohammad Asghar 3 for 16, Hasan Ali 2 for 13, Wahab Riaz 2 for 13) by 58 runs to win PSL 2.

Man of the Match: Darren Sammy.

Man of the Tournament: Kamran Akmal.

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