By Alam Zeb Safi
LAHORE: Fast bowler Hunain Shah produced gem of his spell when he defended six runs in the final over to put Hyderabad Kingsmen in the final when they defeated Islamabad United by just two runs in the Eliminator 2 of the HBL PSL 11 at the Gaddafi Stadium on Friday.
Set to chase 187, United needed six runs off the last over from Hunain Shah. Hunain, after conceding just one run from three balls, he removed Faheem Ahraf off his fourth to leave United needing five off two balls. Imad Wasim got a run off the fifth ball and United needed four off the last ball. Hunain managed a superb delivery to Chris Green (21 not out) and just a leg bye came off it and so Kingsmen won the game by two runs as United were restricted to 184-7.
Set to chase a seemingly tough target Islamabad United had a poor start. Left-arm young pacer Akif Javed got rid of in-form Sameer Minhas (6) in the second over to provide a fine start to Kingsmen.
In the next over fast bowler Mohammad Ali removed Mohsin Riaz (5) to leave United reeling at 15-2.
Skipper Shadab Khan then joined Devon Conway and they tried to stabilize the innings. The duo added 42 runs for the third wicket association. However it was Saim Ayub who had Conway, trapped lbw. The batsman went for a review and the third umpire upheld the decision the left-hander had been hit right in front while going a reverse sweep.
Conway struck three fours and a six from 25-ball 30 and United were 57-3 in eight overs.
And left-arm spinner Hassan Khan then had Shadab Khan to add to United’s misery. Shadab, held in the deep by Irfan Khan, smashed one four in his 24-ball 22.
At this stage it seemed that Kingsmen had an upper hand. However Mark Chapman and Haider Ali brought United back in the game with a rapid 64 runs partnership for the fifth wicket off 33 balls to make the target manageable.
Mohammad Ali got the crucial wicket of Haider, held at deep mid-off by Glenn Maxwell to leave Kingsmen at 132-5 in the 16th over.
Haider smashed two sixes and two fours in his 16-ball 31.
Faheem Ashraf joined Chapman and the New Zealander looked dangerous as he managed a few stunning stroke. He hit fast bowler Hunain Shah for a six and four in the 18th over before the right-armer removed him, held excellently by Kusal Perera to make the things evenly poised. United were 153-6 in the 18th over. Chapman hammered two sixes and five fours in his brisk 26-ball 43 and United needed 34 from 15 balls.
Chris Green and Faheem Ashraf looked steady and United required six off the final over from Hunain Shah. And Hunain did extremely well to gift a two-run victory to Kingsemn.
Hunain finished with 2-37 in four overs while he was ably backed by Mohammad Ali with 2-44.
Hunain Shah was also declared as man of the match for his fine bowling.
Earlier a calculated counter-attack led by Usman Khan and Kusal Perera saw Hyderabad Kingsmen recover from a mid-innings collapse to post a decent total of 186-5.
After being put in to bat Kingsmen overcame the early loss of Maaz Sadaqat (0) to finish their 20 overs with a momentum-shifting unbeaten fifth-wicket partnership of 101 between Usman and Kusal Perera.
Usman was the architect of the recovery, smashing 61 not out from just 30 deliveries, his third fifty of the season. His exploits also contain a hundred. His whirlwind knock included ten boundaries. He reached his half-century in just 24 balls, anchoring the back end of the innings with clinical precision.
Supporting him was the experienced Kusal Perera, whose 37 not out off 21 balls provided the necessary aggression from the other end. Perera cleared the ropes twice and added four boundaries, ensuring Kingsmen capitalized on the death overs. The pair took the score from a precarious 85-4 in the 12th over to a position of significant strength, reaching their 100-run stand in just 49 deliveries.
Earlier, Kingsmen innings was a tale of two halves. Captain Marnus Labuschagne (39) and Saim Ayub (38) had steadied the ship following the first-over dismissal of Sadaqat. The duo put on a 70-run stand for the second wicket, with Saim particularly fluent, hitting seven boundaries before falling to Chris Green held by Mark Chapman in the deep mid-on.
However, a sudden double-strike by veteran spinner Imad Wasim in the 12th over threatened to derail the innings. Wasim removed Labuschagne and then dismissed the dangerous Glenn Maxwell for just 3 in the space of three deliveries, leaving Kingsmen reeling at 85-4.
Imad finished as the pick of the bowlers for Islamabad with figures of 2-16 from his two overs. While Chris Green (1-19) remained economical, the rest of the United attack suffered under the late-innings onslaught, with Faheem Ashraf and Richard Gleeson conceding 43 and 40 runs respectively.
The final now will be held between Kingsmen and Zalmi on Sunday at the same venue.
