Aaron Hardie backed his four-wicket haul with a blistering half-century to lead Peshawar Zalmi to a five-wicket victory over Hyderabad Kingsmen in an enthralling Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 final at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday.
The high-reward victory helped Zalmi clinch their second PSL title, ending a nine-year wait as they first got their hands on the prestigious silverware in 2017 under the leadership of West Indies great Darren Sammy. It also marked the first-ever major trophy for star batter Babar Azam as the captain.
Set to chase a modest 130-run target, Zalmi eventually knocked the winning runs comfortably for the loss of five wickets and 28 balls to spare.
The former champions, however, had a contrasting start to the pursuit as they lost Mohammad Haris (six) and captain Babar Azam (duck) in the pulsating first over, bowled by Mohammad Ali.
After the departure of both openers, all-rounder Aaron Hardie and in-form Kusal Mendis (nine) attempted to anchor the run chase with a 26-run partnership, which culminated with the latter’s dismissal in the fourth over.
Left-arm pacer Akif Javed inflicted another blow to Zalmi’s run chase in the subsequent over as he got Michael Bracewell (four) caught behind and brought the total down to 40/4.
Hardie was then joined by Abdul Samad in the middle, and the duo turned the game on its head with sensible batting and put Zalmi within touching distance with an 85-run partnership.
Ali broke the crucial stand in the 15th over by dismissing Samad, who walked back after scoring a valiant 48 off 34 deliveries, laced with three fours and four sixes.
Hardie, on the other hand, batted until the end and walked back after top-scoring with an unbeaten 56 off 39 deliveries, studded with nine boundaries.
Ali was the pick of the bowlers for the Kingsmen, taking three wickets for 38 runs in his four overs, while fellow pacers Hunain Shah and Javed could claim one apiece.Zalmi captain Babar Azam’s decision to field first paid dividends as the 2017 champions booked the debutants for a modest 129 in 18 overs.
Kingsmen got off to a shaky start to their innings as their lost left-handed opener Maaz Sadaqat (11) fell victim to Mohammad Basit in the second over with just 16 runs on the board.
Following his dismissal, Saim Ayub joined Marnus Labuschagne in the middle, and the duo ensured retaining the scoring rate by putting together 35 runs in 19 deliveries before Aaron Hardie got the skipper caught behind in the fifth over.
Labuschagne remained a notable run-getter for the Kingsmen, making a 12-ball 20 with the help of three fours and a six.
Saim, on the other hand, was then involved in a 20-run partnership for the third wicket with in-form wicketkeeper batter Usman Khan (eight), who was trapped lbw by leading wicket-taker of the PSL 11 Sufiyan Muqeem in the seventh over.
Usman’s dismissal triggered a middle-order collapse as the Kingsmen lost three more wickets, out of which two were run-outs, in just eight deliveries, and consequently slipped to 73/6 in 7.5 overs.
Following the collapse, Hassan Khan (12) walked out to bat at No.8 and shared a brief 17-run partnership for the seventh wicket with set batter Saim until being sent back by Hardie in the 10th over.
Saim was then involved in cautious partnerships with Hunain Shah (nine) and Mohammad Ali until eventually being dismissed by Hardie on the first delivery of the 18th over.
The left-handed batter remained the top-scorer for the Kingsmen with a cautious 54 off 50 deliveries, featuring five fours and two sixes.
Hardie struck again in the same over, getting Akif Javed (five) caught behind to round up Zalmi’s dominant performance with the ball.
Hardie was the standout bowler for Zalmi in the PSL 11 final, returning sensational figures of 4/27 in his four overs, followed by Nahid Rana, who bagged two wickets, while Muqeem and Basit chipped in with one scalp apiece.
