PSL 6 match 24: Zazai, Abrar torment Karachi Kings

Another day, another defeat for Karachi Kings, who lost their third game in a row. Tonight, they were completely outplayed by Peshawar Zalmi in the 24th match of the HBL PSL 6 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi.

It was an absolute team effort from Peshawar as they first restricted Kings to a below-par total of 109 and then cruised to the victory in just 11 overs, courtesy of Hazratullah Zazai's 17-ball fifty, the joint-fastest of the tournament.

Before him, it was young leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed who had tormented the Kings campaign. The leggie had received a call up after three years of making his debut for the same franchise and made full use of the opportunity.

He made a mockery of Karachi Kings’ already hampered batting lineup and conceded only 6 runs in his first three overs for two wickets. The spectacled spinner ended up with figures of 4-3-0-14. He was followed by skipper Wahab Riaz who had the same number in the wickets’ column for 34 runs.

The other impressive prospect was Sameen Gul, who had been recalled by Peshawar Zalmi after two years of his debut. His double strike in the third over, removing big guns like Martin Guptil and Chadwick Walton jolted Karachi Kings who were already reeling from the early loss of Babar Azam, who went for a duck tonight. Gul ended up with three for 12 in his 3 overs.

Sharjeel Khan’s 25 early on and Abbas Afridi’s 27 in the latter part of the innings were Karachi’s only two big scores, as no one else could touch the 20-run mark.

In pursuit of a mediocre target, Zalmi took a flying start before Aamer Yamin removed Kamran Akmal for 9 in the second over, but he could not put brakes on unstoppable Zazai, whose joint-fastest fifty flayed Karachi. He scored 63 off 26 balls and was picked as the Man of the Match.

There were late hiccups in Zalmi's innings, as three quick wickets down the line slowed down their march towards victory a little. Still, the target was chased with nine overs to spare.