This worked more as a template than it did as a game. Islamabad In a match like this, which United has been playing for eight years, no team can quite equal their fury.
It worked beautifully today, as United smashed Peshawar Zalmi away by six wickets and went to the needed 157 runs in 15 overs.
The star bowler, Hasan Ali, who was making his comeback, took three crucial wickets in the top order to slow Zalmi’s progress. After that, Rahmanullah Gurbaz stole the show with the bat, helping United score 80 runs in six overs—the highest Powerplay total of the PSL this year—on the strength of his 31-ball 62.
Zalmi were the only team to succeed for the first six overs despite United winning the toss and bowling. As Hasan was blasted for 17 in his opening over by Mohammad Haris and Babar Azam with the new ball, there was no sign that his day would turn around.
Babar Azam‘s silky elegance and Haris’ raw power were in direct contrast for six overs, yet their effects on run scoring were very similar. When the fielding limits were lifted, Haris had sped to 35 off 17 deliveries, while Babar took 19 to score 34.
On his first over, Shadab took out Haris, then Mubasir Khan used a flipper to take out Saim Ayub, but after that, it was all Hasan. On a critical 10th over, Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Rovman Powell were both stumped by very identical deliveries.
Each batter received a fresh, edgy send-off from Hasan before continuing on their journey, and United had masterfully recovered the situation. As Jimmy Neesham was bowled in Hasan’s subsequent over, Babar was soon pushed to interfere after watching the action unfold from the other end.
He tried his best, but Zalmi needed a power hitter, and Babar isn’t very good at that part of the game. He tried to hit the outside and farm the strike, but he wasn’t quite able to provide his team with the big finish they required against a strong batting lineup. The 156 they ended up with felt totally inadequate.
In the field, a little lack of control didn’t assist Zalmi’s situation. Despite each opportunity being incredibly difficult, the unfortunate Neesham mishandled three catches during the Powerplay. Gurbaz was finally taken out of the game by Usman Qadir, but by that point, Zalmi had already been eliminated.
United didn’t give up after the Powerplay, in contrast to Zalmi. Asif Ali’s raw power made sure that this was only going to be a run-rate rescue job for Zalmi, while Van der Dussen was consistently finding the holes. In those middle overs, Shadab and van der Dussen fell, but with so many boundaries being set, no one really noticed.
Azam Khan would put the game to death with a massive six over midwicket, capping off a performance that was so suggestive of United that it might as well have been copyrighted.