11TH MATCH REPORT: ISLAMABAD UNITED VS QUETTA GLADIATORS

Quetta dominate Islamabad once again as they move to the top of the table

Islamabad United were back in action after a dominant performance against Lahore Qalandars from the day before. Gladiators won the toss and chose to field, as Sharjeel Khan and Shane Watson came to open the innings for United, fresh from a record breaking partnership in the HBL PSL. Their partnership would end earlier this time around though, as Zulfiqar Babar took Sharjeel with a juicy full toss which went unpunished and landed safely in Akbar Ur Rehman’s hands in the fourth over. Watson got off to a flying start and it seemed he never left the pitch from the night before! He took on Muhammad Nawaz and smashed him for consecutive sixes, and in no time had taken Islamabad United to 39/1 after five overs. Brad Haddin whacked a glorious six from the first ball he faced in the tournament and United were off to a promising start. However, things took a dramatic turn for Islamabad once Watson was dismissed off Aizaz Cheema in the seventh over after scoring 40 from 28 balls. Gladiators halted proceedings through some brilliant bowling.

Grant Elliot made his debut for the Gladiators in the HBL PSL and wasted little time in making his mark. He bowled a clever slower ball and deceived Haddin, who was stumped by Sarfraz behind the stumps. He got Billings on his very next delivery, as Islamabad’s batsmen began to lose control of the innings. After the end of their first ten overs, United were 66/4. Wickets kept falling at regular intervals as Gladiators started bossing the match. Khalid Latif was next to fall off Mohammad Nabi as he was caught leg before. Hawkeye revealed that the ball would have missed the stumps. Nawaz picked up Imran Khalid next, just as he was beginning to score some runs. Andre Russell was also sent packing cheaply as Islamabad failed to get a single partnership going and their tail collapsed dramatically. Elliot ended up with 3 wickets as Islamabad were bowled all out for 117 runs in 19.1 overs. Gladiators must have felt pretty confident going in to the break.

Luke Wright and Ahmad Shehzad opened the innings for the Gladiators. They needed to keep wickets intact but Andre Russell had different ideas and bowled a phenomenal third over of the innings. Wright was caught by Sam Billings on the off side, before Russell bowled a superb yorker on the very next delivery to bowl out Kevin Pietersen for a golden duck! It seemed as if we had a match on our hands but Shehzad kept scoring runs steadily on the other end with some beautiful strokes. Quetta’s skipper Sarfraz Ahmed kept rotating the strike and started to build a partnership with Shehzad. Both batsmen put on an important partnership, adding 59 runs from 43 balls for the 3rd wicket before Shehzad became Russell’s third victim as he was caught in the deep by Sharjeel. Shehzad scored a confident

Quetta Gladiators were firmly in control of the match when Nawaz came out to bat. Sarfraz kept the scoreboard ticking knowing that his team did not need to do anything fancy. Ajmal tried to contain runs but wickets were hard to come by for United. The Gladiators cruised to their target in the 17th over, as Sarfraz led from the front and remained unbeaten at 51 from 39 deliveries, capping off another comprehensive victory by seven wickets. Grant Elliott was awarded the man of the match for his wonderful bowling performance. With this win, the Gladiators move to the top of the table once again as they continue to dominate in the HBL PSL.

10TH MATCH REPORT: KARACHI KINGS VS PESHAWAR ZALMI

Bopara almost took Karachi home as Peshawar seal victory by 3 runs in an epic encounter

On a flat Sharjah track, it was no surprise that Zalmi chose to bat first after winning the toss. Karachi’s squad remained unchanged from the previous match, while Peshawar brought in the young Amir Yamin for Junaid Khan. The ever consistent Tamim Iqbal and Muhammad Hafeez opened the innings for Zalmi as Mohammad Amir rushed in to bowl the first over. Hafeez took the initiative from the start and got off the mark with a terrific boundary. Imad Wasim was next as Hafeez continued to play beautifully, striking three boundaries from that over. Within no time, Peshawar Zalmi were off to great start, with Hafeez looking in sublime form. Tamim kept playing the supporting role on the other end, as his partner targeted every single bowler for runs. The professor went after everyone as Amir was pulled away for an exquisite four, Shakib was smashed for a six down the ground as Karachi Kings seemed to run out of ideas to stop Hafeez. Tamim kept rotating the strike and let Hafeez take charge, which ensured Zalmi set the perfect platform for a big total. Hafeez raced to his half century from only 29 balls in the ninth over with Peshawar in firm control of the match at 78/0. Karachi Kings needed to pick up a wicket soon as Zalmi’s openers were dominating proceedings.

Tamim also got in to his stride as the innings progressed and started to use his feet well against the spin bowlers. Kings’ finally got their much awaited first wicket through Ravi Bopara as Hafeez was dismissed leg before in the 11th over. Hafeez was really unfortunate with that decision as the ball was clearly drifting down the leg stump. The opening pair put 93 on the board from just 63 balls. Bopara struck again and Tamim was sent packing in the 13th after a steady 37 from 35 deliveries. Kamran Akmal continued to keep the runs flowing for Peshawar, with a banging six down the ground as the ball disappeared out of the ground. With fifteen overs gone, Peshawar Zalmi were 126/2 with Kamran Akmal and Dawid Malan in the middle. Akmal departed after a quick 30 from 20 balls off Amir’s bowling and out came Zalmi’s captain, Shahid Afridi. With little time spent on the crease, Afridi skied a full toss off Sohail Tanvir which was caught by Bopara, but unexplainably was given as a no ball by the third umpire for being above waist height even though Afridi was charging down the track. Malan was dismissed after a troublesome time in the middle and was followed by Darren Sammy with less than three overs to go. Afridi and Sammy finished off the innings strongly as they hit Tanvir for 17 runs in the last over, and Peshawar Zalmi managed an impressive 182/4 in their 20 overs.

Lendl Simmons and Nauman Anwar opened the innings for Karachi Kings. Amir Yamin bowled an impressive first over and only conceded two runs. Nauman scored Karachi’s first boundary off Shaun Tait in the second over through a fine shot towards mid wicket. Wahab dismissed Simmons on his very first ball, beating him with sheer pace with a fiery delivery that hit the stumps. Nauman was run out in the next over courtesy some great fielding and a direct hit by Shahid Yusuf at point. Karachi’s misery continued as Imad Wasim was run out two deliveries later in the most comical fashion imaginable. He was strolling towards the crease and failed to ground his bat as Mohammad Asghar clipped off the bails in what should have been an easy run. Karachi’s captain Shoaib Malik was next and he hit a convincing six off Shahid Afridi straight away as he tried to resurrect the chase and lead from the front. His stay was short lived as he perished off Asghar’s bowling in the eight over while trying to dispatch another six. Shakib Al Hasan was next to throw away his wicket to Afridi as Karachi’s middle order collapsed. After ten overs, Karachi Kings were 61/5 with the match way beyond their reach barring a miracle.

James Vince and Ravi Bopara began striking the ball to inject hope in the Karachi camp and picked up the run rate. Vince was particularly impressive, as he began to hit all bowlers with ease and started hitting boundaries at will. Peshawar Zalmi were forced to take a strategic time out as Bopara and Vince gained momentum. That decision worked wonders as Shaun Tait bowled out the dangerous James Vince after he made a quick fire 44 from 28 balls. Karachi needed 72 runs from the last five overs, with Bopara still in the middle. Yamin and Riaz were all put away for runs by Bopara, before he absolutely hammered Shaun Tait in the 18th over and scored 26 runs in an over which put Peshawar in all sorts of trouble. Sohail Tanvir also kept the scoreboard ticking, while Bopara raced to a spectacular 50 from 28 balls in the process. With two overs left and 22 needed, we had a match on our hands. Sohail Tanvir hit an important six off Riaz in the second last over, before being bowled out on the very next ball.

Karachi needed 13 runs from the last over as Darren Sammy was given the ball for the first time in the innings. Bopara dispatched the first ball for six, followed it up with a well taken double before being caught at deep midwicket while trying to finish things off. Bopara departed after an astounding and 67 from 33 deliveries. Karachi needed 4 runs from the last 2 balls. Usama Mir was run out by Kamran Akmal while trying to take a quick single. Amir was on strike as Karachi needed a boundary off the last ball to seal the win, it was all happening in Sharjah! Darren Sammy ensured that did not happen as Zalmi sealed the win by 3 runs. Peshawar were ecstatic, as another thrilling encounter in the HBL PSL came to an end.

BIG MATCH islamabd united vs quetta gladitors

After a clinical victory yesterday Islamabad United face the strong Quetta Gladiators in the second match tonight. Which team do you think will come on top?

PSL: Pakistan Super League International and Foreign players

Pakistan Super League first edition not only brought cheers for Pakistan cricket lovers but it has given our domestic players to share the dressing room with International and foreign players.

In this post we have combined the list of International and Foreign playing in five teams of PSL.

Karachi Kings:

International Players: Bilwal Bhatti, Fawad Alam, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Nauman Anwar, Shahzeb Hassan, Shoaib Malik, Shoail Tanveer and Sohail Khan

Foreign Players: Ravi Bopara (ENG), Shakib Al Hasan (BNG), Mushafiqur Rahim (BNG), Lendl Simmons (WI), James Vince (ENG)

Lahore Qalandars:

International Players: Azhar Ali, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzak, Ehsan Adil, Hammad Azam, Sohaib Maqsood, Mukhtar Ahmad, Zafar Gohar, and Mohammad Rizwan

Foreign Players: Chris Gayle (WI) Dwayne Bravo (WI), Davin Cooper (WI), Ajantha Mendis (SRI) and Cameron Delport (SA)

Peshawar Zalmi:

International Players: Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Hafeez, Imran Khan Jr, Wahab Riaz, Abdul Rehman, Aamir and Yamin

Foreign Players: Darren Sammy (WI), Shaun Tait (AUS), Tamim iqbal (BNG), James Allenby (AUS) and Dawid Malan (ENG).

Quetta Gladiators:

International Players: Sarfraz Ahmad , Asad Shafiq, Saad Nasim, Zulfiqar Babar, Bilal Asif, Umar Gul, Anwar Ali, Ahmad Shehzad, Aizaz Cheema and Rameez Raja Jr

Foreign Players: Kevin Pietersen (ENG), Luke Wright (ENG), Kumar Sangakkara (SRI), Thisara Perera (SRI), Elton Chigumbura (ZIM) and Mohammad Nabi (AFG).

Islamabad United:

International Players: Misbah ul Haq, Sharjeel Khan, Saeed Ajmal, Babar Azam, Mohammad Sami, Umar Amin, Mohammad Irfan and Khalid Latif.

Foreign Players: Shane Watson (AUS), Andre Russel (WI), Samuel Badree (WI), Brad Haddin (AUS) and Sam Billings (ENG).

The Pakistan Super League (PSL) continues on Friday with the Karachi Kings taking on Lahore Qalandars at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. The team from Karachi come into the game on the back of another loss against Islamabad United by a close two runs on 7 February. It has been a disappointing campaign for the Kings so far, who started brightly, but faded just when better performances were expected from them. Skipper Shoaib Malik has failed to lead from the front, his performances have been listless, scoring just 63 runs in four innings while taking a meager one wicket. In fact, there has been no standout performer for the Karachi outfit so far, apart from Ravi Bopara, who has looked good so far. Karachi Kings have two more games in hand and will need to win all three matches to stay in contention for a semi-final spot. On the other hand, the team at the bottom of the table, Lahore Qalandars, like their opponents Karachi Kings have won just one game in the league. They have struggled to remain consistent both in the batting and bowling departments. Skipper Azhar Ali looks like he is not cut out for the T20 format, being unable to inspire his troops while his batting has stagnated. The biggest disappointment though has been West Indian hard-hitting batsman Chris Gayle, the left-hander has not lived up to his billing as one of the most feared T20 players in the world, scoring just six runs in two games. Gayle has been in such poor form that the team management dropped him from the playing XI in their last game. The Lahore outfit need to win all their remaining games to stay in contention for a place in the knock-out stage. Prediction

Karachi Kings take on the Lahore Qalandars in the 12^th match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on 12 February.

The Pakistan Super League (PSL) continues on Friday with the Karachi Kings taking on Lahore Qalandars at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. The team from Karachi come into the game on the back of another loss against Islamabad United by a close two runs on 7 February.

It has been a disappointing campaign for the Kings so far, who started brightly, but faded just when better performances were expected from them. Skipper Shoaib Malik has failed to lead from the front, his performances have been listless, scoring just 63 runs in four innings while taking a meager one wicket. In fact, there has been no standout performer for the Karachi outfit so far, apart from Ravi Bopara, who has looked good so far. Karachi Kings have two more games in hand and will need to win all three matches to stay in contention for a semi-final spot.

On the other hand, the team at the bottom of the table, Lahore Qalandars, like their opponents Karachi Kings have won just one game in the league. They have struggled to remain consistent both in the batting and bowling departments. Skipper Azhar Ali looks like he is not cut out for the T20 format, being unable to inspire his troops while his batting has stagnated.

The biggest disappointment though has been West Indian hard-hitting batsman Chris Gayle, the left-hander has not lived up to his billing as one of the most feared T20 players in the world, scoring just six runs in two games. Gayle has been in such poor form that the team management dropped him from the playing XI in their last game. The Lahore outfit need to win all their remaining games to stay in contention for a place in the knock-out stage.

Pakistan Super League : ISLU anthem video stirs a storm on social media

What sets 'Chhaka Choka' apart from anthems of other franchises in the PSL is that its video is the only out of all teams' that stars the entire squad from all the players to the coach

While the Pakistan Super League is under way in full swing in Dubai, one of the participating teams, Islamabad United, has not only made its mark during the tournament, but also achieved a feat.

The official anthem of Islamabad United, "Chhaka Choka", has received a thunderous response from fans of not just the team, but cricket enthusiasts as well. Written, composed and sung by our very own rockstar Ali Zafar, the video of the funky, hip anthem has taken social media by storm and has been viewed and shared hundreds and thousands of times since its official release less than a week ago.

What sets "Chhaka Choka" apart from anthems of other franchises in the PSL is that its video is the only out of all teams' that stars the entire squad from all the players to the coach to the team director.

Directed by the talented Umair Fazli, the video shows Ali Zafar interacting in his own amusing way with Captain Misbahul Haq, talking to the tall Muhammad Irfan while standing on a ladder, interacting with the iconic Australian player Shane Watson, learning how to bowl from team director and legend Wasim Akram as well as English cricketer Sam Billings, coach Dean Jones, Brad Haddin, Andre Russel of the West Indies and the remaining squad and management.

Talking about the video itself and his experience shooting it, director Fazli said he had a fantastic time as it was like a dream-come-true moment for him working with the legendary Wasim Akram, the popular Shane Watson and Dean Jones.

"We were so short on time for the shoot that we didn't get the time to absorb or enjoy the fact that we were shooting with people we loved watching play. Our concern was to get everyone together at the same time and make them look good and maintain their star images. We didn't have time to celebrate; we had a responsibility to build up their images and we had to fulfil that."

About his experience working with sport stars instead of actors and the few hours only it took to shoot the video, Fazli said, "Actors have experience. Sportsmen aren't really actors, so it was more fun. We could put in some comedy elements in the video to make it look natural. Getting the players to dance with Ali was a lot of fun. It's like one of those jobs you get an offer for, the timeline doesn't make sense, but you say, 'OK, let's aim for the best'. That's exactly what we did and achieved beyond our expectations. We had thankfully done our homework, the preproduction paid off and the entire exercise built our ability to think on our feet." 

Peshawar survive Bopara onslaught for three-run win

Peshawar Zalmi 182 for 4 (Hafeez 59, Tamim 37) beat Karachi Kings (Bopara 67, Wahab 2-29, Sammy 1-9) by three runs 

West Indies' Twenty20 captain Darren Sammy held his nerve with the ball, conceding just nine runs off the final over to guide his team Peshawar Zalmi to a thrilling three-run victory against Karachi Kings in Sharjah.

After 39 overs of a contest that swung one way and then another, the equation was that Karachi needed 13 runs off six balls; Peshawar needed three wickets to secure the win and go top of the table. Sammy bowled full and wide first ball, and Ravi Bopara, who had almost single-handedly brought Karachi back into the game, whacked a six over the cover-point boundary. Bopara then helped himself to a two next ball. Five needed off four balls, with Karachi holding the edge.

Bopara could have sealed a famous win off the next ball, but sent Sammy's full toss straight down the throat of long on. Peshawar were lifted, and Usama Mir could only manage a single off the fourth delivery. Karachi knew they had to run for anything, and their sneaky attempt at stealing a bye off the fifth ball was unsuccessful, as Mir was run out. That left Mohammad Amir, the new man in, with the unenviable task of hitting four off the last ball. After a huge discussion between Sammy and his captain Shahid Afridi, Sammy ran in to bowl the final ball from around the wicket. His wide yorker was not accurate, but Amir failed to get any bat on it, and the Peshawar players broke into wild celebrations.

A close finish was the last thing on everyone's mind, especially Peshawar's, when they reduced Karachi to 48 for 5 in a tough chase of 183. However, Bopara inspired a turnaround, blasting five fours and four sixes during a 33-ball 67 which threatened to take the game away from Peshawar. Bopara put up fifty-plus stands with James Vince and Sohail Tanvir, but unfortunately for Karachi, fell right when his team needed him the most.

Earlier, Mohammad Hafeez blasted his first fifty of the season to power Peshawar to 182 for 4. Peshawar, opting to bat, began on the front foot, as Hafeez and Tamim Iqbal put up an opening stand of 93, before late blitzes from Sammy and Afridi lifted the team past the 180-run mark. Hafeez slammed seven fours and three sixes during his 59.