Afghan pacer Naveen-ul-Haq has guided Peshawar Zalmi to a narrow win over table-topper Multan Sultans in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
In a moment of enormous pressure, Haq claimed two wickets off the last two balls to hand Peshawar their first triumph in the 9th edition of PSL on Friday night.
Opting to bat first in what turned out to be a nail-biter, Peshawar Zalmi posted a total of 179 for the loss of eight wickets.
A breezy knock of 37 off 18 balls by Haseebullah Khan and 31 by skipper Babar Azam were the highlights of Peshawar’s innings. Rovman Powell chipped in with 23 off 11 and Luke Wood 17 off 12.
Sultans, who still top the table despite their overnight loss, were bowled out for 174 at their home turf. Haq’s intelligent and aggressive bowling stopped them romping home.
Despite being thrashed for two boundaries and a towering six in the final over, the quickie maintained his composure.
As Sultans needed six off the last two deliveries, the fast bowler dismissed Iftikhar and Shah Nawaz Dahani.
David Malan (52 off 25) and Reeza Hendricks (28 off 27) forged a 70-run partnership, but failed to help their franchise maintain their winning streak.
Earlier, Arif Yaqoob bagged three scalps in a highly dramatic 17th over, which helped Peshawar keep Multan’s run rate in check.
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