Peshawar Zalmi Vs Islamabad United | Match 5 | PSL 7, Paul Stirling struck the third fastest fifty in PSL history. Alex Hales sent every fourth ball he faced to the boundary and finished 82 not out. And Islamabad United overhauled a target of 169 with nine wickets and 25 deliveries to spare. This was pure domination.

| Islamabad United 172 for 1 (Hales 82*, Stirling 57) beat Peshawar Zalmi 168 for 6 (Rutherford 70, Ashraf 2-23, Hasan 2-34) by nine wickets |

Stirling and Hales fifties help Islamabad ace 169 chase

| Rutherford made an unbeaten 70 to lift Peshawar from the doldrums of 35 for 4 but it wasn’t enough |, Peshawar Zalmi Vs Islamabad United | Match 5 | PSL 7

Hales and Stirling shine as Islamabad United kick off their PSL 2022 campaign with a bang Sherfane Rutherford’s fantastic rescue plan was in vain as Islamabad United won overwhelmingly on Sunday (January 30). 

Rutherford batted at a difficult time because Peshawar Zalmi had only 35 runs on the board when they lost four wickets. Faheem Ashraf struck twice, and Hasan Ali and Shadab Khan each took a wicket to help Peshawar get out of the game early. However, in order to save his side, Rutherford teamed up with veteran Shoaib Malik. Before Malik fell at a crucial point, the two batters added 73 runs for the fifth wicket to get their team out of trouble. Rutherford, on the other hand, carried on with his assault and never conceded defeat. Ben Cutting made a helpful cameo, but Rutherford’s unbeaten 70 guided Peshawar close to the 170-mark, which initially appeared unlikely. In response, Islamabad got off to a very different start when Paul Striling and Alex Hales went crazy. Stirling scored an attractive fifty while Hales went on a boundary spree and cleared the ropes three times.

The century stand was ended by a run out, but Islamabad had already put themselves in a good position to win. Hales and Rahmanullah Gurbaz completed the chase with 25 balls remaining after leaving Peshawar with no openings. 

Hales finished with an unbeaten 82, while Gurbaz finished with a 27. 

Brief scores: Peshawar Zalmi won by 168 runs in 20 overs (Sherfane Rutherford scored 70*, Ben Cutting scored 26; 

Islamabad United defeated Peshawar Zalmi 168 for 6 (Rutherford 70, Ashraf 2-23, Hasan 2-34) by nine wickets in 15. 5 overs (Alex Hales 82*, Paul Stirling 57) Faheem Ashraf scored 2-23) to lose to Islamabad United by 172 runs in 15.5 overs (Alex Hales 82*, Paul Stirling 57). 

Stirling and Hales fifties helped Islamabad achieve theirWith a score of 82 not out, Alex Hales hit the boundary with every fourth ball he faced.And Islamabad United beat their 169-run target with 25 deliveries and nine wickets remaining. This was complete dominance. When Sherfane Rutherford was batting, Peshawar Zalmi had no chance at all. The big-hitting West Indies all-rounder led an incredible lower-order fightback after reaching 35 for 4 in the seventh over. While he was at the crease, he defied the entire match situation with an unrestrained array of shots, scoring 70 of the 133 runs added to the scoreboard. 

The best of the bunch was Shadab Khan’s hat trick of six, four, and six goals against Islamabad captain Shadab Khan. For a while, his team’s total of 168 for six seemed competitive. Paul Stirling opened his shoulders and began breaking records after starting his PSL 2022 campaign in grand style.

In his ten pitches, the Ireland batter hit seven of them to the fence.None of Wahab Riaz, Sohail Khan, or Usman Qadir were spared. At the conclusion of the powerplay, Islamabad was 78 for 0—an aggregate that ranked second only to their own 97 for 0 in 2021. The chase remained relatively risk-free from that point on. The match’s outcome was predetermined as the two openers sailed to their respective half-centuries, Stirling in 18 balls and Hales in 32. 

PakistanZalmi vs. United Pakistan Super League PSL 7: Paul StirlingAlex HalesSherfane RutherfordIslamabad United Peshawar Zalmi Match 5: Islamabad United vs. Peshawar Zalmi Ben Jones examines Islamabad’s blistering chase and the impact of their depth of batting. Islamabad United opened their PSL7 campaign by defeating Peshawar Zalmi by a score of 168 runs with more than four overs remaining. Faheem Ashraf’s early wickets set the tone for Shadab Khan’s team, but Alex Hales and Paul Stirling’s brutal Powerplay hitting won the day. Shoaib Malik, a veteran, and Sherfane Rutherford, a Guyanese import, struck a skillful 70* (46), bringing Wahab Riaz’s team to what felt like a competitive, only slightly under-par total at the halfway point after Peshawar had been reduced to 35-4. 

The fact that Islamabad’s slower ball variations were successful—three wickets out of 11 deliveries bowled below 120 kph—suggested that the surface was not as conducive to batting as it had been in previous matches this season. However, Islamabad’s response only created that illusion for a few minutes. Stirling’s quartet of fours, the most expensive opening over the left-arm quick has delivered in any T20 match, cost Wahab 16 runs in his first over.

A quick turn to spin by Usman Qadir matched Sohail Khan’s first over, which ended in a 17-point loss. Islamabad had scored 50 unbeaten runs in three overs, the highest total ever at that point in an innings in the PSL.The Englishman Pat Brown’s pace off strategy provided a brief respite when the fourth over ended with just six runs, but Zalmi’s fightback was short-lived as the final two overs before the field went back added 22 runs to the score. The final Powerplay total, 78-0, ranks equal fourth in the competition’s history. At the beginning of the chase, the required rate was less than a run per ball, down from more than 8 rpo. A game that was on the line was almost certainly won.

Given the two men at the crease, it shouldn’t come as a surprise.In terms of Powerplay striking, Stirling and Hales have ranked right up there in recent years;Stirling’s numbers are almost as impressive as the Englishman’s, despite the Englishman’s higher profile and more consistent run of overseas opportunities. 

There will be a lot of other options, but the team that signs Jonny Bairstow in the IPL auction could do worse than sign Stirling as a backup for when Bairstow goes to England for a Test. Even though there aren’t many early runs like the one we saw today, most of them come from Islamabad.Four of the PSL’s top eight Powerplay scores have come from the men in red (or, disappointingly for those who enjoyed the previous kit, dark pink), and the Islamabad team has always prioritized Powerplay hitting, even under Luke Ronchi. 

In a related matter, the recruitment process for Islamabad United has always followed a clear and logical path.They targeted overseas batsmen (particularly top order, ultra-aggressive players) and domestic quicks after determining that Pakistan had an obvious surplus of domestic pace bowlers and a relative lack of domestic batting options. Islamabad, the data-driven side, is frequently criticized for overthinking and overcomplicating matters. That might be the situation now and again, yet the best information examination offers such exquisite, clear methodologies, while those depending on impulse and stomach feel are the ones who find themselves overthinking, tying themselves in tangles. 

The XI Islamabad fielded today was striking not only in its quality but also in the depth of destructive batting it offered, with effective hitters all the way down. Their approach has brought them great success over a decent amount of time, and the XI they fielded today should not see too many changes as the season progresses, with the exception of Colin Munro’s return. Hasan Ali is a player who, if he were to bat at number 8, you would think he would provide a lot of hitting depth; however, he is playing at number 10.A better example of why batting depth is important than any number of games in which the No. 8 smokes the ball around the park at the end is, in some respects, an innings like the one we saw today.It’s difficult to quantify the freedom that comes from knowing that those below you can handle themselves with that bat. Hales and Stirling were always going to go hard on a good surface with a moderate target, but in this setup, they can do so with very little risk. 

The England T20I team is another notable example of batting depth. In recent times, the team has been stacked with batting all-rounders like Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali, as well as Liam Livingstone and Sam Curran.Islamabad has taken the opposite course of action:Shadab Khan, Mohammed Wasim Jr., and Faheem Ashraf can all be referred to as bowling all-rounders, and Hasan Ali can also be included in this category. The attack is close to a complete team in terms of balance, a testament to excellent recruitment and team construction, despite the fact that it lacks a little flexibility in terms of spin options unless Emerging Player Mubasir Khan develops quickly. Of course, Islamabad will be put through more difficult situations than it is now, most likely at the next opportunity.

On Tuesday, Shadab’s team faces Multan Sultans, the defending champions who have started the season quickly.However, Islamabad fans can be exuberant and optimistic about their team’s chances of playing expressive, attacking cricket in their own distinctive style for the time being.

Paul Stirling | Alex Hales | Sherfane Rutherford | Islamabad United | Peshawar Zalmi | Pakistan | Zalmi vs United | Pakistan Super League

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