Joseph, Babar, Talat guide Zalmi to an emphatic win

By our correspondent
LAHORE: Pacers Alzaari Joseph (3-15) and Luke Wood (2-25) bowled extremely well to enable Peshawar Zalmi to dismiss Lahore Qalandars for a paltry total of 129 in their vital game of the PSL X at the Gaddafi Stadium Lahore on Thursday night.
The duo blew up the top order and at one time Qalandars were gasping at 34-5 in the sixth over and it seemed that it would be difficult for them to cross the 100-run mark.
However at this stage Zimbabwe’s all-rounder Sikandar Raza took the responsibility, held one end in tact and went deep to complete his first fifty of the season off 37 balls.
Sikandar, who was removed by Mitchell Owen in the last over smashed three sixes and five fours in his 52.
He also hit Mitchell Owen for two fours and a six in the 17th over which yielded 17 runs.
Earlier Babar Azam’s decision to field first paid dividends. Zalmi’s pacers Alzaari Joseph and Luke Wood created a stir in Qalandars batting line-up by removing their top four batsmen within no time for only 21 in the fourth over.
It was Joseph who got the prized scalp of Fakhar Zaman who was clean bowled after he went a little back in order to create room but missed it and it crashed the stumps.
Fakhar hit ten off eight balls with two fours.
In the next over Luke Wood got rid of Asif Ali, trapped lbw for five before the English left-armer also removed Daryl Mitchell for two to leave Qalandars reeling at 17-3.
Joseph in the next over removed Abdullah Shafique (0) before young pace-sensation Ali Raza getting rid of Sam Billings (9) and Qalandars were gasping at 34-5 in the sixth over.
Billings, who aimed to hit it on onside, checked his short while coming down the wicket and it went straight to Babar Azam at mid-off.
And Lahore’s pathetic journey continued as Hussain Talat sent Shaheen Afridi back when he edged a widish delivery to keeper Mohammad Haris. Shaheen made 16 off ten balls which featured two sixes which he hit off the bowling of Luke Wood and Ali Raza.
When Shaheen departed Qalandars were struggling at 44-6 in the eighth over.
Bangladesh spinner Rishad Hossain and Sikandar Raza then tried to build the innings but it was Joseph who got rid of Rishad for a run-a-ball 13 which featured one six and one four. Qalandars were 67-7 when Rishad departed.
Now it was left to Sikandar Raza to bring respectability to the hosts total and he did that by scoring a solid fifty to bring respectability to the total.
He was assisted by Haris Rauf (10) as the duo shared 36 runs for the eighth wicket association before leggie Arif Yaqoob removing Haris who hit one six.
Alzaari Joseph was the pick of the bowlers with 3-15 in his quota of four overs while Luke Wood captured 2-25 in his quota of four overs.
Ali Raza and Asif Yaqoob got one wicket each.
Earlier Zalmi went unchanged while Qalandars made two changes by bringing in Asif Ali and Mohammad Azab in place of Mohammad Naeem and Zaman Khan.