Irshad’s yorkers put Islamabad in trouble before Azam, Faheem and Dawson closed out the chase
Islamabad United 170 for 5 (Hales 62, Azam 28, Irshad 3-31) beat Peshawar Zalmi 169 for 5 (K Akmal 58, Malik 55, Hasan 3-30) by five wickets
It was the returning Hales who spearheaded the win, punishing Zalmi dearly for reprieving him on multiple occasions, top-scoring with 62 off 49. Defending 170, Zalmi kept pegging United back with tight overs and occasional wickets, but the power-hitting depth of United won out in the end. Cameos from Azam Khan and Faheem Ashraf, followed by a six and a four from Liam Dawson off the only two balls he faced ensured United stayed alive in a pulsating contest.
The returning Shadab Khan bowled a sensational first three overs, prising Akmal out just as he began to threaten. It wasn’t until the final five overs that Zalmi properly pushed the pedal, realising perhaps that they were well off the pace. Twenty-one came off the final Shadab over and 62 off the final five as Malik brought up a half-century and Hussain Talat struck 28 off 15.
Zalmi might also look back on the chance to remove Hales for a duck off the fifth ball of the chase when Haris missed a colossal stumping chance off mystery spinner Ali Majid. The luckless Majid manufactured another opportunity against the Englishman in the third over, only for Khalid Usman at extra-cover to put it down. Zalmi were tempting fate, and slowly finding theirs was being taken out of their own hands.
Aside from that drop, Usman had a near-spotless day, his four-over spell the most economical of the game. Bowling out his quota in the first ten, he had United reined in, allowing just 17 runs and cleaning up opener Will Jacks. When Irshad removed Shadab Khan, the asking rate was creeping up to 10, though United’s repository of power hitters meant it wasn’t a huge problem just yet.
Irshad was spectacular through the middle, plugging some of the damage Hales and Azam Khan were inflicting on Wahab Riaz at the other end. But despite three crucial wickets, the presence of Azam and Faheem continued to signal danger for Zalmi, and when the bowlers missed their lengths, they were punished with huge sixes. That kept the game in a holding pattern of sorts right down to the final over, which began with United needing ten. Azam’s dismissal off the first ball was followed, in true United fashion, by Dawson whacking his first two balls for ten.
As Wahab Riaz’s dream ended, the veteran Pakistan bowler collapsed to his knees, unable to stem the tears. The contrast of emotions with a jubilant United side, somehow still alive in a tournament where fate was almost conspiring to kill them off, was both jarring and touching. It was a game full of flaws from both sides, but that almost made it perfect.
Danyal Rasool is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo. @Danny61000