Story of the match
SHARJAH // Fridays in Sharjah – remember them? Used to be a time when, some Indian players thought, Pakistan could just not lose on a Friday in Sharjah, come what may.
That no longer is the case as far as the national side are concerned. But on the first Friday of the Pakistan Super League’s (PSL) leg in Sharjah, Pakistan could not, and did not, lose.
It hardly mattered that it was Tamim Iqbal, a Bangladeshi opening batsman, who was the architect of Peshawar Zalmi’s comfortable seven-wicket win over Islamabad United.
Last night he was as Pathan, and as Pakistani, as anyone on the field or in the stands. A full and raucous house meant it was one of those nights that are perfect reminders of the glory days of Sharjah.
Tamim’s unbeaten 80, off 58 balls, was the day’s second-best innings (see Bopara, Ravi) but it was no lesser for it, full of the kind of top-order bluster that has made him such a compelling player.
Last May, after the World Cup, he had been particularly severe on Saeed Ajmal’s re-modelled action and he wasted no time jumping at him here.
He smoked a boundary through extra cover off the very first ball Ajmal bowled. In the eighth over he hit him for two successive sixes, one over long-off and one over long-on. A few overs later, he hit Samuel Badree even straighter, a brute of a hit that captured the nature of his innings. He really was in no mood to hold back.
That capped off a fourth win in five matches for a side that, along with Quetta Gladiators, look the best side in the league.
Turning point
Misbah-ul-Haq had missed Islamabad’s last two matches with a calf strain. On his return yesterday, he looked like he had barely missed a beat. In particular, as he hit Shahid Afridi for two massive sixes and a four in the 14th over, it looked as if Islamabad might put up a big score. Instead, he fell three overs later, skying Wahab Riaz to – who else? – Afridi.
That ended a promising 57-run stand with Khalid Latif and derailed the innings. After he fell, Islamabad could add only 22 more, losing three more wickets in the process.
Man of the match
Tamim Iqbal, Peshawar Zalmi's bowling strength has been remarked upon plenty but how about Tamim? This was his third fifty in five matches. Two of them have been unbeaten, and it took him above Bopara as the tournament's leading run-getter.
It was exactly the kind of innings we are used to as well, full not only of blustering intent, but execution to match.
His assault on Ajmal was especially impressive (contributing significantly to the off-spinner’s figures of 4-0-44-1) but no bowler escaped his attention. Alongside Mohammed Hafeez, he forms arguably the best opening pair in the league.
The National’s verdict
How do you stop Peshawar Zalmi? Quetta Gladiators are the only side to beat them but in this kind of mood, they look very difficult to overcome. At one stage in the innings, Islamabad looked like they could be the first side to really tame Peshawar’s bowling.
But there is just too much quality in that attack, so much so that they could easily make up comfortably for a poor day with the ball for Shahid Afridi. He finished conceding 38 off three overes but Shaun Tait, Wahab Riaz and the delightful Mohammed Asghar meant it did not matter.
osamiuddin@thenational.ae
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