Pollard, Amin haul Peshawar Zalmi past Multan Sultans
dubai — Kieron Pollard produced another one of his specials and Umar Amin was the able ally as Peshawar Zalmi dented Multan Sultans in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) on Thursday night.
Pollard and Amin blitzed the Sultans with unbeaten half-centuries as the 2017 champions won by seven wickets and with four balls still in hand at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Pollard struck 52 (27b, 1x4, 5x6), while Amin made 54 (37b, 7x4). Peshawar Zalmi were given a good start by their openers Imam-ul-Haq and Andre Fletcher with the pair putting on 34 runs in the chase of 173.
But they suffered twin blows after Fletcher and Kamran left in quick succession to leave them on 35-2. Haq and Umar Amin pulled them back with a 50-run stand for the third wicket but Shahid Afridi put an end to their association.
Afridi, who couldn’t make an impression with the bat after being run out, drew Haq out of the crease and had him stumped by keeper Tom Moores.
Haq scored a 34-ball 39 which had two boundaries and a six.
It was delicately poised at 85-3 after just over 11 overs gone but Kieron Pollard joined forces with Amin to ignite the chase.
Pollard was his usual self, bludgeoning the Sultans attack with his array of powerful strokes.
The towering West Indian smoked three successive sixes off Christian, the first one straight, the second over mid-wicket and the last one over square leg.
The final six in that 18th over brought up his second half-century of the tournament.
“I tried to keep calm this time. It was getting tight at the end but I wanted to stay till the end. I had planned to go hard and sometimes it works,” Man of the Match Pollard said.
Earlier, the Multan Sultans posted a competitive total of 172 for five in their allotment of overs after being put in by Zalmi captain Darren Sammy.
The Sultans middle order were handy with their contributions with a large chunk coming from Johnson Charles.
The West Indian held them together with a half-century, an innings that had the right mix of caution as well as aggression.
Charles was also well supported by opener James Vince and his captain Shoaib Malik.
After the openers Umar Siddiq and Vince had put on 38 runs, Vince and Charles were involved in a defining partnership of 76 for the second wicket that took the Sultans to 114 in 13 overs.
But Charles couldn’t carry on as he was castled by left-arm spinner Liam Dawson.
Charles’ 57 came from 31 balls and included eight boundaries and a six. Vince too followed two overs later, after being run out by Imam-ul-Haq. The Englishman made 41 from 38 deliveries with two boundaries and an equal number of sixes.
Then, Malik and Christian carried on from there and put on 45 runs for the fourth wicket.
Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi fell cheaply, being run out by Wahab Riaz for one.
Christian scored a 12-ball 18 with a six and a boundary, while Malik remained unbeaten on 28 from 21 balls with two fours and a six.