PSL: Zazai powers Peshawar into final

Peshawar Zalmi turned the second Eliminator into a one-sided match to clinch an easy win over two-time PSL champions Islamabad United by eight wickets.

They will meet Multan Sultans in the final on Wednesday night.

This is the fourth time in six PSL editions that Zalmi have reached the season finals.

However, they’ve lifted the trophy only in 2017 under the captaincy of Darren Sammy, now Peshawar’s head coach.

No stopping Zazai storm

Hazratullah Zazai doesn’t like to take the game deep.

After demolishing Karachi Kings in the first Eliminator, he swept Islamabad United away with his power-hitting in the second Eliminator.

The Afghan opener struck 66, including four huge sixes to put Zalmi ahead on the run chase.

His fiery half-century helped Wahab Riaz’s troops chase 175 with 19 balls in hand.

In the post-game interview, Zazai explained to Rameez Raja that the reason he did not go full throttle in the middle overs was that the ball was sticking to the pitch.

So one can imagine how fierce he could be on flat tracks.

Playing in his fourth game this PSL, he has now bagged three Man of the Match trophies.

Hassan’s late cameo in vain

Hasan Ali was ironically Islamabad United’s top scorer.

His 16-ball 45 propelled United to a decent target after a shaky start to the inning.

He struck three sixes and five fours in the death overs, making up for the likes of Asif Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed and Hussain Talat.

Peshawar Zalmi 177 for 2 (Zazai 66, Wells 55, Malik 32*) beat Islamabad United 174 for 9 (Hasan 45, Riaz 2-35) by eight wickets.

Preview: Multan Sultans vs Peshawar Zalmi

Multan Sultans, who have reached the final of this year’s Pakistan Super League, will play against Peshawar Zalmi on Wednesday night.

Multan have a lot of first-evers going into the contest.

This is the first time they have reached the competition’s final, after having being led by Mohammad Rizwan since the franchise’s inception.

Probable best performers

Shahnawaz Dhani

What makes Shahnawaz Dhani a T20 powerhouse is the way he nips the ball, making it achieve extra bounce on fuller lengths.

He has been troubling quality batsmen with fiery and unanticipated bouncers.

Being the leading wicket-taker of the tournament with 20 scalps, Dhani is most likely to make it big on the big night as well.