Quetta Gladiators pacer Mohammad Amir has revealed what Peshawar Zalmi’s captain Babar Azam said after delivering a good bouncer during the second game of Pakistan Super League (PSL) season nine.
Amir bowled a bouncer which was missed by the former Pakistan captain in the third over of the Zalmi chase. Netizens enjoyed the battle between the two in the middle which has now become a PSL rivalry.
“He is a good player but my role has always been to pick wickets of the top batter,” Amir said in a presser after Quetta’s 16-run win over Peshawar.
“The instance you highlighted was regarding the bouncer which he said that it went quickly and couldn’t understand,” he answered to the reporter.
It must be noted that Amir bowled an economical four-over spell of 1-29 in his debut match for Quetta.
Meanwhile, Babar top scored for his side by scoring 68 runs on 42 balls courtesy of eight boundaries but his efforts went in vain as his side fell short of the 207-run target set by the Gladiators.
Zalmi had a thrilling start, Saim Ayub and Azam were well set on the crease as they were heading towards 100 for no loss. However, in the ninth over, a misunderstanding between the two batters cost them a big blow.
Saim lost his wicket after scoring 42 runs after getting run out leaving his 91-1 in 8.4 overs. Mohammad Haris came in after the left-handed batter’s departure but he too walked back to the pavilion shortly after scoring just 7 runs.
Azam stayed on the crease as he continued to score for his side, but the Zalmi skipper mistimed his shot on mystery spinner’s Abrar Ahmed ball and was caught by Mohammad Wasim Jr.
The wickets kept falling and the outstanding effort by the Gladiators’ bowlers restricted Zalmi to 190 for six wickets, winning the match by 16 runs.
Earlier in the first innings, Jason Roy and Saud Shakeel wreaked havoc as they thrashed Zalmi’s bowler all over the ground and built a 157-run partnership.
Shakeel departed after scoring a brilliant 74 off 47, laced with ten boundaries, which included four sixes as well.
Gladiators’ skipper Rilee Rossouw joined the party and hit the six off the first ball, followed by a boundary two balls later, but Mohammad Zeeshan castled him in the next over to end his brief stay.
Roy was departed by Salman Irshad in the 18th over with 185 runs on the board after playing a clinical knock of 75 runs from 48 balls, featuring nine boundaries and two sixes.
Sherfane Rutherford played a 20-run cameo off 13 balls before getting out in the last over, followed by Mohammad Wasim who scored a boundary and departed on the next ball.
Khawaja Nafay (6) hit the last ball for four to lift the team’s total to 206 in their allocated 20 overs.
Irshad led the bowling charts for the Peshawar Zalmi with figures of 3-38, while Wood and Zeeshan contributed with one wicket each.
