DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, CMC – West Indies Twenty20 captain Darren Sammy nearly produced a match-winning innings but Peshawar Zalmi lost wickets at the end to slide to a narrow one-run defeat to Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League here Friday.
Chasing a gettable 133 for victory in the first qualifying semi-final at the Dubai International Stadium, Zalmi seemed en route to victory with eight runs needed from the final over.
However, they lost two wickets in the over and could only get one run off the last delivery with three runs required for the win, to end on 132 for nine off their 20 overs.
Sammy top-scored with 38 off 29 deliveries with five fours and a six while Wahab Riaz struck 22 from 16 balls with three fours.
With Zalmi struggling on 84 for six in the 15th over, Sammy and Wahab put on a valuable 29 for the seventh wicket to haul their side back into contention.
While Sammy remained at the crease, hope abounded but once the right-hander holed out in the deep off the final ball of the 18th over with 20 runs still needed, Zalmi faltered.
Medium pacer Grant Elliott (3-19) and left-arm spinner Mohammed Nawaz (3-27) were the main wicket takers.
Englishman Kevin Pietersen had earlier top-scored with 53 off 38 balls as Gladiators rallied to 132 all out with three balls to spare, after being sent in.
The right-hander put on 79 for the third wicket with Sri Lankan Kumar Sangakkara who got 37, as they rescued the innings from peril at 11 for two in the fourth over.
Once they were separated, however, the last eight wickets fell for 43 runs.
Wahab took three for 17 with his left-arm seamers while medium pacer Sammy finished with one for 30 from his three overs.
