Peshawar survive Bopara onslaught for three-run win

Earlier, Mohammad Hafiz made a breezy half-century to help his side post a challenging 183 run target for Karachi Kings in the tenth match of inaugural edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL). Sammy bowled full and wide first ball, and Ravi Bopara, who had nearly single-handedly brought Karachi back into the game, whacked a six over the cover-point boundary. They put 54 runs partnership on the board and gave the ideal start.

Karachi’s misery continued as Imad Wasim was run out two deliveries later in the most comical fashion imaginable. The Lahore outfit need to win all their remaining games to stay in contention for a place in the knock-out stage. Overs 5 | BATTING: Shoaib Malik 11(11), Nauman Anwar 24(19): Karachi are off to a good start, going nearly eight an over. “I was not confident, even Hafeez was not confident while giving the ball to Sammy for the last over but Darren was himself very confident that he can do it. So we gave him the ball and he delivered”. Yamin and Riaz were all put away for runs by Bopara, before he absolutely hammered Shaun Tait in the 18th over and scored 26 runs in an over which put Peshawar in all sorts of trouble. Karachi needed 72 runs from the last five overs, with Bopara still in the middle. He hit 67 off 33 runs to take his team closer to the target with only 13 needed in the last over.

Bopara hit Sammy for a six on first ball and took a couple on the next before holing it out to Shahid Yusuf at long on. Peshawar was lifted, and Usama Mir could only manage a single off the fourth delivery. Darren Sammy ensured that did not happen as Zalmi sealed the win by 3 runs. That left Mohammad Amir, the new man in, with the unenviable task of hitting four off the last ball. Peshawar were ecstatic, as another thrilling encounter in the HBL PSL came to an end.