Peshawar hobble past Lahore in low-scoring thriller

Peshawar Zalmi limped over the line against the Lahore Qalandars in one of the more extraordinary contests in franchise T20 history. After skittling Lahore for 59 in 10.2 overs - the second-shortest innings in the format's history - Peshawar found a hole and then promptly dug themselves into it, going from 47 for 3 to 51 for 7 as the most straightforward of run chases suddenly turned complicated in large part due to a brilliant spell by Yasir Shah. From there, Wahab Riaz and Chris Jordan forged a priceless nine-run partnership to ensure that Peshawar secured two points.

Matches are often lost between the ears, but Lahore seemed to lose this one overcompensating in reaction to a scathing post-match presentation from their captain Brendon McCullum two days earlier, who criticised his team for being "too timid" in their chase against Quetta on Friday. McCullum said he would prefer to see his batsmen caught on the boundary than being bowled or dismissed lbw.

They took his advice to heart, swinging from ball one. McCullum practiced what he preached, being caught at deep midwicket for a duck in the first over. The Qalandars continued to swing from the hip as they fell to 9 for 3 in two overs and then 27 for 4 inside of four overs, and an approach that started off as aggressive began to look asinine. As they fell for what was by some distance the lowest score ever in the PSL - the second lowest is 111 - they looked headed for embarrassment. Yet with this being a Pakistani competition, it was never going to be that simple.

It would be churlish to say Peshawar didn't bowl well. After all, they shot the opposition out for 59. But they didn't appear to do anything exceptional. They simply didn't need to as they watched Lahore continue to go after shots that were never on, not learning from each subsequent dismissal. Peshawar were outstanding in the field, though, taking every chance that came their way, both in the deep and behind the wicket. Their throwing was accurate too, highlighted by a direct hit from Chris Jordan to run out Sohail Tanvir from midwicket.

Eoin Morgan, invaluable in Peshawar's chase against Karachi with an unbeaten 80 on Friday, found himself playing an equally crucial role in a much smaller chase today. He might be known on the T20 circuit for his explosive shotmaking, but just like he had against Karachi, came in to settle his side's nerves by scoring 23 in 26 balls to take his side within touching distance. He was unlucky to be given out when he was, Aleem Dar judging Morgan to have inside edged a ball to short leg when there seemed to be only pad involved.

It is a mark of how extraordinary Yasir's bowling must have been for the Man of the Match award to go to a player from the side bowled out for 59. Building on a spell from teammate Sunil Narine, who extracted more turn than has been seen in the PSL so far, Yasir bowled an unrelentingly aggressive spell, making Peshawar work for every one of their 60 runs. It was legspin at its finest: attacking, accurate, fearless and effective. His figures of 4-0-7-4 did not flatter him in the slightest.

While Lahore's batting strategy seemed somewhat peculiar throughout, the daftness reached its lowest point when Tanvir decided to risk a single to midwicket at 53 for 6 in the ninth over, where Peshawar's best fielder Jordan was stationed. He didn't run in a straight line, and didn't attempt to drag his bat in either. Not that any of that would have made a difference. Jordan's bullseye throw meant that even the third umpire didn't need to be disturbed. Nine balls later, the innings came to a close when, in hindsight, batting out a few more overs could have made all the difference.

Peshawar now have two wins from three and top the table with four points thanks to a better net run rate than Quetta Gladiators, though Quetta have a game in hand. Lahore, with one win in three, sit in third place level on points with Islamabad United but ahead on net run rate.