RAWALPINDI, Pakistan, CMC – An explosive 64 from new West Indies Twenty20 captain Rovman Powell was the rock upon which Peshawar Zalmi built a 24-run win against Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League yesterday.
Powell earned the Player-of-the-Match award and was one of three batsmen that defied a destructive spell of four for 26 from left-arm pacer Mohammad Amir and cracked half-centuries to propel Zalmi to 197 for five from their 20 overs at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
Little-known pacers Azmatullah Omarzai and Aamer Jamal shared six wickets to undermine the Kings batting and restricted them to 173 for eight in an unsuccessful run chase in the 17th match of the tournament.
The result carried Zalmi to six points and fourth in the six-team standings from six matches, and pushed the Kings to fifth on four points.
Powell, 29, will lead West Indies in three Twenty20 Internationals later this month on the current Tour of South Africa, and he warmed up in grand style in an 85-run, fifth wicket stand that gave legs to a recovery after Amir sent Zalmi stumbling to two runs for three wickets in the first three overs. After Kings put Zalmi in to bat, Amir trapped Mohammad Haris and Babar Azam lbw for ducks in the first over, and got Saim Ayub caught at deep square leg for one in his second over.
But Tom Kohler-Cadmore, not out on 56 off 45 balls, and Haseebullah Khan, with 50 off 29 balls that included four fours and three sixes, launched a bold counter-attack and shared 82 for the fourth wicket to stabilise the innings.
Powell came to the crease after Khan was caught at long-on off South African left-arm unorthodox spinner Tabraiz Shamsi exactly at the halfway mark with Zalmi 84 for four. The Jamaican blasted six fours and four sixes in his 34-ball innings before Amir had him caught behind in the penultimate over.
The Kings benefitted from 53 off 41 balls from Australian international wicketkeeper-batsman Matthew Wade and 57 not out off 30 balls from their captain Imad Wasim, but wickets fell regularly to short circuit their chase.
Omarzai ended with three for 28 and Jamal finished with three for 43, and Mujeeb-ur-Rahman supporte with 2-28.
