By Alam Zeb Safi
LAHORE: Michael Bracewell (35 not out) and Abdul Samad (33) shared a crucial partnership to enable Peshawar Zalmi to down Rawalpindiz by five wickets with five balls to spare in their opener of the HBL PSL 11 at the Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday.
Set to score 215 Zalmi were at one stage 130-4 in 14.1 overs and they needed 85 off 35 balls, seemingly a much difficult task.
However, at this stage Michael Bracewell and Abdul Samad batted superbly. They shared 64 runs off just 23 balls for the fifth wicket stand to take their team very close to victory. Mohammad Amir removed Samad at a time when he had done his job. Samad, who has also played for Pakistan, smashed four sixes and one four in his 11-ball 33.
Aamer Jamal then joined Bracewell and struck a rapid five-ball 17 not out to enable his team achieve the target with five balls to spare. This is the highest chase from Zalmi in their PSL history and overall fifth highest chase of the marquee event history.
Bracewell remained not out on 35 which he scored off 17 balls and hit two sixes and three fours.
Amad Butt was the pick of the bowlers with 2-45 in four overs while Mohammad Amir (1-49) and Naseem Shah (0-51) proved too expensive.
Spinner Rishad Hossain claimed 1-35.
Earlier openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Haris provided a solid platform to Zalmi by sharing 78 for the opening stand. It was left-arm spinner Asif Afridi who had Babar, trapped lbw. It was a delivery that pitched at the right area, Babar wanted to connect but failed, it hit him on his front leg and the review showed that he was right in front.
Babar struck 28-ball 39 featuring one six and four hours. In the next over Ammad Butt got rid of Mohammad Haris with Mohammad Rizwan taking a fine catch after covering a great distance.
Haris smacked two sixes and four fours in his 28-ball 47. With the asking run-rate mounting Kusal Mendis and Aaron Hardie tried to rebuild the innings but Bangladesh spinner Rishad Hossain removed Hardie (8) to leave Zalmi struggling at 128-3 in the 14th over.
In the next over Amad Butt removed Kusal Mendis (31) to put Zalmi under a lot of pressure.
Mendis hit two sixes and one four from 17 balls. However Samad-Bracewell partnerships did the job.
After opting to bat first on a warm day Yasir Khan hit a blistering fifty to enable Rawalpindi Pindiz to post 214-4.
Yasir, who was seen in sublime form, managed superb power-hitting, hammering six sixes and seven fours in his 46-ball 83 to set a solid base for his side.
Yasir added 125 for the opening stand with his skipper Mohammad Rizwan who chipped in with a 32-ball 41, featuring one six and five fours.
The duo took Pindiz to 63 in the powerplay and the debutants were 101 without loss in ten overs.
Yasir, who had power in his strokes, also hit seasoned spinner Michael Bracewell for two sixes and a four in the 12th over of the innings which produced 20 runs.
Rizwan, who had a calm start, also showed a glimpse of his form, when he hit fast bowler Ali Reza for four successive fours in the third over of the innings which yielded 21 runs.
It was Ali Reza who broke the stand when he had Rizwan, held in the deep by Farhan Yousuf.
Kamran Ghulam joined Yasir and both looked solid in their approach. However, Ali Reza got rid of Yasir to leave Pindiz at 144-2 in the 15th over.
Kamran Ghulam and Daryl Mitcehll then added another 40 crucial runs for the third wicket association to boost the total.
Australian pacer Aaron Hardie sent Kamran back for a glorious 20-ball 37 which featured three sixes and two fours and Pindiz were 185-3 in the 18th over. Kamran also smacked Aaron Hardie for two huge sixes in the 18th over which yielded 15 runs.
In the end Daryl Mitchell and Sam Billings did extremely well with rapid knocks to take their team to a commanding total.
Mitchell struck a 13-ball 23 with two fours while Billings smacked an eight-ball 18 with two fours and a six.
Michael Bracewell was adjudged as man of the match.
