If anything, the way Peshawar´s tail imploded, it makes me conclude that even after Hafeez´s and Malan´s innings, they wouldn´t have even got near the total without Afridi´s awesome 13-ball 34. He played his part and brought back the match in Peshawar´s reach almost every over´s last two balls with a six or two.
Also, hindsight´s a great thing, but I wouldn´t blame Sammy here either for taking the single. He´d given enough (three) deliveries to the very capable tail to give the strike back to him and in the process at least tie the game. He´d already declined a single of the first ball, and had he done that again on the third ball two, everyone would´ve been calling for his head had he then not been able to hit a boundary, or taken one the next ball and hence given the tail just two balls.
The fault lies with the tail, they batted like mindless creatures. When the last over was about to begin, I said to my brother that the great disadvantage to the batting team when a spinner bowls the last is that they can´t just dab and run, because the keeper´s breathing down on your neck, which always poses a great danger of getting run out. Well, that exactly proved to be the deciding factor!
Still though, bat on ball stuff horribly goofed up by Zalmi´s tail. It hurts to be saying this about the team that I support, but one has to admit they´re the official chokers of the PSL. They just can´t hold their nerves in a tight match, and although Quetta suffered the same fate their previous two matches, they know well how to choke the opposition in a nail-biter.
Nawaz bowled incredible three yorkers though. Not easy for a spinner that, but he was fantastic.
