BACK TO WINNING WAYS
eshawar Zalmi’s start to the innings had almost mirrored that of the Karachi Kings before Eoin Morgan gotthem their first win in the second edition of the HBL PSL at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Friday night.
The Zalmis, handed a seven-wicket defeatinthe tournam nt’s opener on Thur day night, were in a spot of bother at 2 for before the calming influence of the England limited-over captain helpedthem overcome atricky chase of 119
gan remained unbeaten o 80 from 57 balls witheight bou daries and thre sixes as the Zalmiswon by 7wickets andwith 9 balls remaining. A ttingly, Morgan scored the winning run Morgan and Dawid Malan repaired thedamage as Peshawar Zalmi over
e those hiccups and the latter’s 22 from 20 balls withf boundaries wa as vital as Morgan’s d fiant knock.
The pair alsoput on 46 for thethirdwick t after which Morgan added the highest partnership ofan unbroken 71 with Har Sohail (13 n.o).
Earlier, the Karachi Kings top order scorecard resembled like phone codes with openers Shahzaib Hasan, who lastplayed for Pakistan six years ago, the one and onlyChris Gayle, one-down Babar Azam and captain Kumar Sangakkara back in the dug-out with single figures.
Their innings was in utter shambles with just 12 on the board and with four men gone. After they spluttered until there, former captainShoaib Malik and Ravi Bopara ignited the Karachi Kings and finally got them up and running.
Malik, watched from the stands by his wife, Indian tennis star Sania Mirza,weaved together apivotal 59-runstandfor the fifth wicket to steer the ship from muddled w ters. But that partnership was terminated by young left-arm spinner Mohammad Asghar, who had Bopara caught by Chris Jordan for a 40-ball 33, after the Englishman had scored three boundaries.