PSL ke Qualifier 1 mein wahi hua jiski umeed Islamabad ke dushmano ne ki thi. Peshawar Zalmi ne Islamabad United ko aise dhoya jaise dhobi ghat par kapde dhoye jaate hain. Babar Azam ne finally apne purane 'Tuk-Tuk' mode ko bypass kiya aur ek aisi innings kheli jisne Islamabad United ki bowling line-up ki dhajjiyan uda di. Peshawar Zalmi ne 70 runs ki badi jeet ke saath seedha Final ka ticket katwa liya hai, jabki Islamabad United ab Friday ke eliminator mein apni kismat aur kharab performance ka rona royegi.
The Inner Story: Babar Ka Change of Heart Aur Islamabad Ka Collapse
Peshawar Zalmi jab batting karne utri, toh aisa laga ki Mohammad Haris aaj kisi jaldi mein hain. Unhone sirf 16 balls mein 35 runs banakar Powerplay ka pura fayda uthaya. Lekin asli drama tab shuru hua jab Babar Azam ne apna gear badla. Babar, jo aksar T20 mein ODI khelne ke liye badnaam hain, unhone aaj dikhaya ki agar wo chahein toh destructive ban sakte hain. Unhone Kusal Mendis ke saath milkar scoreboard ko rocket bana diya. Shadab Khan ne toh ek over mein 5 wides daal kar dikha diya ki Pakistan cricket mein captaincy ka dabav kya hota hai. Babar Azam ne 57 balls mein apni century poori ki aur Peshawar Zalmi ko 221 ke pahad jaisa score tak pahuncha diya.
Jab Islamabad United chase karne utri, toh Devon Conway aur Sameer Minhas ne thodi himmat dikhayi. 7 overs mein team ka score 77 tha, lekin phir shuru hua 'The Great Pakistani Collapse'. Aaron Hardie ne aisi bowling ki ki Islamabad ke batters ko samajh hi nahi aaya ki pitch par rukna hai ya pavilion bhagna hai. Sufiyan Muqeem ne bhi behti ganga mein hath dhoye aur 28 balls ke andar Islamabad ne apne 6 wickets gawa diye. Teen baar ki champion team 151 par dher ho gayi aur Peshawar ne 2019 ke baad pehli baar final mein jagah banayi.
Analysis & Numbers
- Babar Azam Masterclass: 103 runs, 57 balls, strike rate 180 se upar. Kya ye naya Babar hai ya sirf ek fluke?
- Shadab Khan Nightmare: Ek 11-ball ka over jisme 5 wides aur 19 runs gaye. Islamabad ki haar ki script yahin se likhi gayi.
- Aaron Hardie Dominance: 3 wickets for 24 runs. Unhone dikhaya ki pressure match mein line aur length kaise maintain ki jaati hai.
- Peshawar Zalmi Streak: 2019 ke baad pehla final. Peshawar ab trophies ki race mein waapas aa chuki hai.
The Guru Gyan Verdict:
Babar Azam ki century achhi thi, lekin ye mat bhuliye ki bowling standard kya tha. Islamabad United ne fielding aur death bowling mein jo blunder kiye hain, wo kisi bhi local club team ke liye sharm ki baat hogi. Peshawar Zalmi ne mauke ka fayda uthaya aur Final mein apni jagah pakki ki. Islamabad ko agar eliminator jeetna hai toh unhe 'cricket' khelna shuru karna hoga, sirf 'celebrity' banne se kaam nahi chalega. Babar ka form Pakistan ke liye achha ho sakta hai, lekin unki consistency par sawaal hamesha rahenge.
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