Peshawar Zalmi rode Babar Azam’s century and leg-spinner Arif Yaqoob’s four-wicket over to beat Islamabad United by eight runs in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) on Monday night.
Babar smashed 111 not out off 63 balls with 14 fours and two sixes and anchored Peshawar to 201-5.
Islamabad were on course to upstage Babar’s masterful 11th Twenty20 century as Azam Khan (75) and Colin Munro (71) combined in an electrifying century stand. But Islamabad lost six wickets off the last 13 balls and stumbled to 193-9.
Yaqoob left two-time champion Islamabad shell-shocked after taking four wickets in the penultimate over that included the key wicket of Munro. Yaqoob finished with 5-27.
It was Peshawar’s second win in a high-scoring thriller in two days after beating Lahore Qalandars by same margin on Sunday night. Peshawar have three successive wins in the last four days. Islamabad have lost three in a row.
Arif Yaqoob bowls as Imad Wasim watches during the PSL match in Lahore. AP
Earlier, after being put in to bat, Peshawar were tied down in the middle overs by spinners Shadab Khan (2-28) and Agha Salman (1-25) until Babar Azam plundered the Islamabad pace bowlers.
Babar reached his half-century off 39 balls and completed his fastest T20 hundred off the next 20 balls. He smashed fast bowler Hunain for four boundaries and a six over extra cover in one over.
Earlier, Rassie van der Dussen’s 50-ball century went in vain against Peshawar Zalmi as two-time defending champion Lahore Qalandars lost their fifth straight game in the PSL cricket on Sunday night.
The South African finished unbeaten on a swashbuckling 104 off 52 balls for Lahore in a high-scoring thriller. It wasn’t quite enough as Peshawar won by eight runs with Lahore chasing for the first time this season.