Sharjah - Disappointing a packed stadium, the Quetta Gladiators-Peshawar Zalmi match had to be called off due to rain on the third day of Pakistan Super League (PSL) contests at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

    However before the rain, Peshawar Zalmi’s Tamim Iqbal enthralled the fans with a whirlwind unbeaten 62 runs off 46 balls that included four boundaries and four sixes.    Sohaib Maqsood too hit an unconquered 30 off 24 balls with two boundaries and a six in Peshawar’s total of 117 for 3 in a rain-shortened 16 overs. The umpires even decided to start the match with a revised target, setting Quetta 55 runs from six overs. Before the first ball was bowled, however, rain commenced again.

Quetta won the toss and elected to bowl. Peshawar openers Tamim Iqbal and Mohammad Hafeez played some delectable shots — picking the boundaries elegantly. They scored 28 runs in 3.4 overs when rain stopped play. The match resumed after 45 minutes and Hafeez fell to Mohammad Mahmudullah while attempting to hit over long on and got caught by Hasan Khan for 16. The opening pair put on 41 runs in 5.5 overs.

Next man Kamran Akmal fell for a duck, lasting just three balls. He edged Hasan Khan to wicketkeeper Sarfraz’s pads and Asad Shafiq at first slip took the rebound. Peshawar slipped into further trouble when their in-form batsman Eoin Morgan too departed, edging to Shafiq after scoring just one run.

Iqbal pulled Rilee Rossouw for a six. Next man Sohaib Maqsood was dropped on 8 while attempting a reverse sweep off Zulfiqar Babar. Hasan Khan leapt to his left at short third man for the catch but could not hold on. Rain stopped the match again with Peshawar on 72 for 3 in the 12th over. When play resumed, it was announced that it would be an 18-over match — but after one ball was bowled it rained again, forcing the players to rush back to the pavilion. The match resumed again as a 16-over encounter and Iqbal slog swept the third ball from Mohammad Nawaz for a mighty six. The first ball of the next over from Anwar Ali was hit for a huge six over mid-wicket by Maqsood. Iqbal too pulled Ali for a boundary with immense power. In the 15th over, Iqbal was at his best, hitting two consecutive sixes off Babar, both over mid-wicket.

Thisara Perera bowled a tight last over, giving away just four runs. But during the ten-minute break, it rained heavily, preventing a timely start.

 Scoreboard

PESHAWAR ZALMI:
Tamim Iqbal not out 62
M Hafeez c Hasan b Mahmudullah 16
Kamran Akmal c Asad b Hasan Khan 0
EJG Morgan c Asad b Rossouw 1
Sohaib Maqsood not out 30
EXTRAS: (lb 2, w 6) 8
TOTAL: (3 wickets; 16 overs) 117
FOW: 1-41, 2-41, 3-42
BOWLING: Zulfiqar Babar 4-0-37-0, M Nawaz (3) 3-0-18-0, Anwar Ali 2-0-22-0, Mahmudullah 3-0-18-1, Hasan Khan 2-0-8-1, RR Rossouw 1-0-8-1, NLTC Perera 1-0-4-0.
QUETTA GLADIATORS:
Ahmed Shehzad, NLTC Perera, KP Pietersen, RR Rossouw, Sarfraz Ahmed, Mahmudullah, Asad Shafiq, M Nawaz (3), Anwar Ali, Hasan Khan, Zulfiqar Babar.
TOSS: Quetta Gladiators
UMPIRES: Ahsan Raza (Pakistan), Asif Yaqoob (Pakistan)
TV UMPIRE: Rashid Riaz (Pakistan)
MATCH REFEREE: M Anees (Pakistan)
RESERVE UMPIRE: Ahmed Shahab (Pakistan)