Abu Dhabi [UAE], June 11 : For the second time in as many days, Rashid Khan orchestrated a victory for Lahore Qalandars in the sixth edition of the Pakistan Super League in Abu Dhabi. This time the opposition being Peshawar Zalmi and the margin of victory 10 runs. The mystery leg-spinner stunned the Zalmi batsmen and viewers alike by snaring five wickets for 20 runs from four overs -- 15 of which had come in his first over. Qalandars now sit comfortably at the top of the points table with 10 points. Zalmi are on the fourth spot with six points. The epic collapse -- during which Zalmi lost four wickets 17 runs -- began in the 10th over of the run-chase as Rashid struck twice in three balls to send David Miller and Rovman Powell packing. The spinner's next over was a wicket-maiden. He again took two wickets in three balls. The dismissed batsmen this time being Sherfane Rutherford, bowled with a slider after being set up with three consecutive googlies, and Fabian Allen, trapped LBW with a googly. Shoaib Malik, who top-scored in the match with a fighting 73, tried to stage a recovery with his captain Wahab Riaz, but the latter had to walk back in the 16th over when Rashid, later declared player of the match, rattled his stumps. The match, however, did not end without a twist as Umaid Asif hit Shaheen Shah Afridi for two sixes in the last over. That Qalandars posted a total which their bowlers were able to defend was because of Tim David's maiden T20 half-century in PSL. The Singapore-born right-handed batsman smashed an unbeaten 36-ball 64 as Qalandars added a staggering 74 runs in the last five overs. Qalandars had an abysmal start to their innings as Wahab rattled Fakhar Zaman's stumps with a perfect yorker in the first over. Tall fast-bowler Mohammad Irfan removed Qalandars' captain Sohail Akhtar and Umaid Asif's bouncer got the better of Mohammad Hafeez. Qalandars were 18 for three at the end of the powerplay -- the lowest by a team in the history of PSL. The tide turned from the 11th over with the introduction of Fabien Allen into the attack. The left-arm orthodox was smoked for a four and a six by Ben Dunk, and David hit Irfan for a six and a four in the next over. The last two overs brought 44 runs for Qalandars as the duo of David and Faulkner struck five sixes with the latter blasting two of them before he was run out on the penultimate ball. Faulkner made 22 off seven. Brief Scores: Lahore Qalandars: 170/8 (Tim David 64*; Fabian Allen 2/36); Peshawar Zalmi: 160/8 (Shoaib Malik 73; Rashid Khan 5/20)
( With inputs from ANI )
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