Liam Dawson's last-ball four helps Peshawar Zalmi clinch thriller
Captain Sammy too plays his part with a 29-ball 40 in a crucial 89-run partnership
Peter Della Penna
01-Mar-2019
PCB/PSL
Peshawar Zalmi 177 for 6 (Dawson 52, Sammy 40, Shadab 2-21) beat Islamabad United 176 (Delport 71, Wahab 2-30, Hasan Ali 2-24) by four wickets
How the game played out
Liam Dawson's crunching straight drive for four off the final ball from Mohammad Sami ended a thrilling contest in Dubai; Peshawar Zalmi chased down 176 to beat Islamabad United by four wickets.
With four needed of the final delivery, Dawson's boundary allowed him to complete a 35-ball half-century after Darren Sammy, who played an equally key role, was run out off the penultimate delivery, trying to steal a bye.
Dawson and Sammy rescued Zalmi with an 89-run sixth-wicket stand after they were struggling at 84 for 5 in the 12th over of the chase. The pair dragged it down to 14 off the final over and took four off the first three balls, including Dawson's survival of a missed run out chance taking a bye off the third ball. Then, Sammy swatted a full toss for six to drag the equation down to four off two balls before Dawson sealed the victory.
It meant Cameron Delport's first innings 71 was in vain for United. PSL's leading wicket-taker Hasan Ali was once again a major factor, having Delport caught by Dawson on the extra cover boundary in the 17th over of the United innings. It sparked a sharp slide in which United last their last seven wickets for 29 runs across the last 23 balls.
Turning points
Star of the day
It looked like Sammy was going to be the hero with a typically powerful flourish at the finish but Dawson trumped his captain, and United, by seeing Zalmi over the line with his fourth career T20 fifty in 147 matches.
The big miss
Aside from the no ball by Ashraf, Sammy was spilled on the extra cover boundary on 18 by sub fielder Amad Butt on the last ball of the 17th bowled by Ashraf. United also had a golden chance to runout Dawson on the third ball of the final over for 48, but Sami's shy from point blank range at the non-striker's stumps missed.
Where the teams stand
Zalmi succeeded in breaking the three-way deadlock on eight points and now sit alone in first with 10 points, two more than United and Quetta Gladiators.
Peter Della Penna is ESPNcricinfo's USA correspondent @PeterDellaPenna