Pakistan Super League amidst lot of fan fare. The opening night saw the inaugural ceremony witness a huge fire in the stadium. The tournament got off to a great start when Multan lost a thrilling encounter to Lahore by 1 run. The 2nd match of the tournament Peshawar and Karachi had more thrills, as the game went down to the wire.
Heated moment between Babar Azam and Mohammad Amir –
Former Pakistani bowler Mohammad Amir was bowling to current Pakistani skipper and former Karachi Kings captain Babar Azam. The incident occurred in the 6th over of the innings. Babar Azam had dispatched a ball on the leg stump for a four. Mohammad Amir seemed angry at the boundary and gave Azam a look and threw the ball on the ground showing his displeasure.
Mohammad Amir speaks about the clash –
Cricket is a competitive sport and the fast bowlers do not like getting hit for fours. Speaking about his show of anger, Mohammad Amir while speaking to the media made a very telling statement. Amir said “these kinds of match-ups and player rivalries, keep the players on their toes. I personally like these sort of challenges because it keeps me focused. My job is to take wickets and win matches for my team. So for me, facing Babar Azam or a tail ender batting at number 10 will be the same”
Mohammad Amir vs Babar Azam💥#HBLPSL8 #PSL2023 #KkvPz #PzvKk pic.twitter.com/fLXOND5XH7
— Muhammad Noman (@nomanedits) February 14, 2023
Cadmore and Azam power Peshawar to 199 –
Karachi won the toss and chose to bowl first. Mir Hamza got the first wicket when he had Mohammad Haris out for 10. Hamza then ran out Saim Ayub for 1 to reduce Peshawar to 16/2. From there Cadmore and Babar Azam joined forces to add 139 runs for the 3rd wicket.
Cadmore top scored with 92 off 50 balls with 7 fours and 6 sixes. Babar Azam scored 68 off 46 balls with 7 fours and a six. Peshawar ended their 20 overs with 199 on the board. Mohammad Amir had a forgettable outing with the ball as he gave away 42 runs from his 4 overs without taking a wicket.
Karachi rocked early –
Chasing 200 to win, Karachi Kings at one stage were 46/4 in the 7th over. Sharjeel Khan was out for 1st ball duck, while Matthew Wade was out for 15 ball 23. Haider Ali with 12 and Qasim Akram with 7 were out to Salman Irshad and James Neesham to leave the Kings in trouble.
Imad Wasim and Shoaib Malik fightback –
Just like Peshawar innings, Karachi staged a fightback. This time veteran Pakistani players Shoaib Malik and Karachi captain Imad Wasim were the players. The duo added 131 runs for the 5th wicket in 12.1 overs. Malik scored 52 off 34 balls with 4 fours and 2 sixes.
Peshawar hold their nerves to win the game –
Wahab Riaz did the trick when he had Malik caught by Haris to break the stand. Imad Wasim was not out on 80 which came off 47 balls with 7 fours and 4 sixes in his name. That knock wasn’t enough as Karachi fell short by 2 runs to lose an exciting match