Page 27 - Pakistan Link - June 25, 2021

SPORTS JUNE 25, 2021 – PAKISTAN LINK – P27
SPORTS JUNE 25, 2021 - PAKISTAN LINK
Explosive knocks by Zazai, Wells power Younis Khan no longer men’s

Peshawar Zalmi into final batting coach

paid dearly for giving Zazai — play- LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket available to assist the PCB by sharing
er-of-the-match for the third time in Board (PCB) and men’s national his vast knowledge with the emerging
this tournament — a reprieve on nine cricket team batting coach Younis cricketers,” he said.
when wicket-keeper Mohammad Khan have mutually agreed to part Both the PCB and Younis
Akhlaq failed to grab a chance off ways, according to a statement issued have agreed to not make any fur-
Hasan Ali, who had earlier rescued by the cricket board on Tuesday. ther comment on the reasons for
his side from a precarious situation. Younis was appointed last year the former captain’s departure, the
After losing the toss, Islamabad in November on a two-year contract statement said. “Pakistan men’s na-
had also lost the plot with the bat until the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup tional cricket team will travel to the
when they found themselves in dire 2022. Commenting on the develop- United Kingdom without a batting
straits at 110-8 in the 16th over. But ment, PCB Chief Executive Wasim coach, while the decision to appoint
Hasan turned on the heat as he blast- Khan said it was sad to lose an expert Younis Khan’s replacement for the
ed 45 off 16 balls and together with of Younis’ stature and experience. West Indies tour will be made in
Mohammad Wasim pushed his side “Following a series of discus- due course,” it added.
to a fighting total. The Hasan-Wasim sions, we both have reluctantly but Pakistan men’s national cricket
partnership of 62 lasted just 25 deliv- mutually and amicably agreed that it team will tour the UK from June 25
eries before Hasan was run out after was time to move in different direc- to July 20 for three ODIs and three
hammering five fours and three sixes. tions. “I want to thank Younis for his T20Is, while the West Indies tour will
Upfront, Islamabad suffered a contributions during his short stint as be from July 21 to August 24 where
huge body blow when the in-form Us- the men’s national cricket team’s bat- the visiting team will feature in five
DUBAI: Peshawar Zalmi put up a the opposition to 174-9. Yet again man Khawaja was run out in fortuitous ting coach and hope he will remain T20Is and two Tests.
majestic all-round show at the Sheikh it was the blazing willow of Zazai circumstances on the fourth ball of the
Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi which put the result beyond doubt match; a rasping straight drive from
on Tuesday night when they mauled by taking the Islamabad bowling to Colin Munro deflected onto the stumps
Islamabad United by eight wickets the cleaners. The Afghan left-hander off the left boot of Malik — who had
in their Eliminator-2 clash to set up smoked four sixes and six fours in a been given the opening over because
the HBL Pakistan Super League final feisty innings of 66 off only 44 balls. both the openers were left-handers —
against Multan Sultans. Wells, a 32-year-old right-hander with the unfortunate Khawaja out of
Peshawar’s road to the decider on from Australia, proved an inspira- the crease at the non-striker’s end.
Thursday was set up by a rollicking tional selection as he marked his PSL Despite boasting a batting line-up
partnership of 126 between Hazratul- debut in style with an undefeated 55 that had bailed out more than once in
lah Zazai and Jonathan Wells in only off 43 deliveries, hitting six boundar- this tournament, Islamabad capitulat-
81 balls after Kamran Akmal (8) had ies and three sixes. After Zazai had ed without any semblance of a late
chopped Hasan Ali onto his stumps. dragged a wide delivery from Mo- onslaught from Asif Ali — who had
But then there was no looking back hammad Wasim onto his off stump, bailed them out against Lahore Qa-
for Wahab Riaz’s charges who out- Shoaib Malik finished the game in landars after his team was tottering at
played Islamabad in all departments rapid fashion. The Pakistan discard 20-5 — as wickets continued to fall,
to make their fourth final in six sea- hit five fours and a six in a 10-ball that is until Hasan and Wasim pulled
sons. They sauntered home with 21 cameo of 32. them out of trouble. But in the end it
balls to spare after having restricted Islamabad, on the other hand, all proved futile.
Maharaj hat-trick puts South Africa Multan Sultans stun Islamabad United to
in sight of series victory punch ticket to PSL 6 final

GROS ISLET: Keshav Maharaj be- to take a hat trick in Tests was Geoff DUBAI: Islamabad United finally Earlier in the evening Multan’s abad batting in the chase and he was
came just the second South African to Griffin against England at Lord’s hit the roadblock in the HBL Paki- innings was a sort of mixed bag, and eventually proven spot on. But the
take a hat-trick in Test cricket and the in 1960. Fast bowler Kagiso Raba- stan Super League 6 on Monday as the fact they posted a competitive captain was left crestfallen when he
Proteas were on course for a series da took the first three wickets of the the runaway leaders during the league 180-5 was chiefly through the heroics was gone in the second over for a
victory as West Indies slid to 109-6 at session as West Indies, who started stage as they suffered a stunning 31- of Khushdil Shah when all seemed duck, adjudged gloving a catch down
lunch on day four of the second Test the day 15-0 in their second innings, run defeat in their Qualifier to Multan lost. The left-hander, who clubbed 42 the leg side to wicket-keeper Akhlaq
on Monday. fell away quickly. Rabada sent West Sultans who punched a direct ticket off only 22 deliveries with five six- after umpire Ahsan Raza had turned
West Indies were still 215 runs Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite (6) for their first-ever PSL final. es as his main scoring strokes, went down the appeal. Islamabad went for
short of their target of 324 and South and Shai Hope (2) back quickly before The turnaround was quite un- on rampage in the penultimate over the DRS which nullified the original
Africa was in sight of a 2-0 series forcing a key breakthrough with the expected given Islamabad’s red-hot and took left-arm seamer Akif Javed decision.
sweep. Maharaj’s hat trick came in wicket of Kyle Mayers for 34, ending form which saw them win five match- to the cleaners by hoisting four con- Shan Masood (25 off 22 balls,
the second-to-last over of the session. his partnership of 64 with Powell. es on trot to top the standings with an secutive sixes — two off the leading four boundaries) and Sohaib Ma-
He claimed a big breakthrough Mayers and Powell appeared unprecedented eight victories. But the edge, the first of which landed over qsood resurrected Multan after that
when Kieran Powell was caught to be on course to at least get West two-time winners of the title in 2016 the third man fence — as the shell- early reversal by putting on 53 in 29
near the square leg boundary for 51. Indies to lunch without any further and 2018 will get another opportunity shocked left-armer went for 29 runs, balls when Shadab Khan struck twice
But the spinner added the wickets of damage but Mayer’s fall sparked a to make Thursday’s decider provided easily the most expensive over deliv- in the space of three deliveries of the
Jason Holder and Joshua Da Silva collapse of four wickets for 17 runs they overcome either Peshawar Zal- ered by Islamabad. eighth over by trapping left-handers
off his next two balls. Wiaan Mulder in the space of five overs. mi or holders Karachi Kings — who Mohammad Wasim, the other Shan and Rilee Rossouw to give Is-
took a one-handed catch low down To make matters worse, West were playing in Eliminator 1 at the youngster, redeemed himself su- lamabad ascendency.
to his right at leg slip to seal the hat- Indies was also missing top-order time of filing this report — in the perbly by giving just six singles in Sohaib interspersed a well-con-
trick and send Maharaj running and batsman Roston Chase to a leg inju- Eliminator 2 on Tuesday. the final over being clattered for 37 structed 41-ball knock of 59 with
sliding on his chest on the grass in ry sustained while fielding, although Faced with a tough 181-run tar- from his first three overs, mainly by powerful strikes that fetched the
celebration. Chase might still be able to bat later get on a sluggish pitch as the game Johnson Charles, who teed off twice Pakistan discard three sixes and a
The only previous South African in the innings. wore on, Islamabad were never able in successive overs as the ball sailed touch of deft strokes, which caught
the eye as the right-hander hit seven
in direction of the grass bank over
to recover the shock of losing in-form
NZ grab first-innings lead despite opener Colin Munro to the second midwicket. fours and helped Charles take charge
ball of the innings as the New Zea-
Taking into account Multan’s
during their 40-ball partnership of 62
India fightback lander was cleaned up by a wily So- potent bowling resources, Moham- before the West Indian was well tak-
mad Rizwan decided that batting
en inside the mid-wicket boundary by
hail Tanvir.
The former Pakistan left-arm- first would offer them better chance Iftikhar off Faheem Ashraf for 41 (21
SOUTHAMPTON: New Zealand New Zealand resumed on 101-2, In- er, adjudged player-of-the-match, of attacking the formidable Islam- balls, three sixes and three fours).
were all out for 249, grabbing a 32- dia clawed back in the contest after bowled intelligently to return excel-
run first-innings lead against India on Virat Kohli effected three inspired lent figures of 3-17 while varying
day five of the World Test Champion- bowling changes. his pace. Barring a valiant 70 (40
ship (WTC) final on Tuesday. Shami dismissed Ross Taylor balls, nine fours and one six) from
Skipper Kane Williamson com- for 11 and clean bowled B.J. Wat- Usman Khawaja, Islamabad simply
piled a painstaking 49, while Tim ling, who made one, to wreck New disintegrated in their chase and could
Southee (30) and Kyle Jamieson (21) Zealand’s middle order. The seam- hardly build momentum before being
provided cameos to push New Zea- er returned after the lunch break to bowled out for 149 in 19 overs.
land past India’s first innings total of account for the wickets of Colin de Apart from scalping Munro, the
217. Mohammed Shami led India’s Grandhomme and Jamieson. 36-year-old Sohail sent back Islam-
fightback with the ball claiming 4-76. Williamson hit Shami for a abad captain Shadab Khan and Kha-
The one-off contest has already boundary to put New Zealand ahead waja. Leg-spinner Imran Tahir and gi-
lost two full days to rain on England’s but fell agonisingly short of what ant pace bowler Blessing Muzarabani
south coast, diminishing hopes of a could have been only the second fifty were also amongst the wickets, while
result in the inaugural final of Test in the low-scoring match. ex-Test seamer Imran Khan produced
cricket’s pinnacle event. Ishant Sharma ended the New a magical moment in the field when
Wednesday has been allocat- Zealand skipper’s five-hour vigil, he ran out Mohammad Akhlaq on his
ed as a reserve day to make up for inducing him into feebly poking at a follow through by hitting the bull’s
lost time. There was a delayed start delivery and Kohli grabbed the edge eye at the non-striker end when Akh-
to fifth day’s play as well and once standing wide at the second slip. laq took one risk too many.
www.Pakistanlink.com
www.PakistanLink.com