Sammy pleased to buck the trend

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Sammy pleased to buck the trend
Peshawar Zalmi captain Darren Sammy during his unbeaten 17.

Dubai - Peshawar captain opted to field for a change and then chased down Lahore Qalandars total on Thursday night

By James Jose

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Published: Fri 24 Feb 2017, 9:58 PM

Last updated: Sat 25 Feb 2017, 12:04 AM

Peshawar Zalmi captain Darren Sammy was pleased that his decision to bat worked and commended his batting line-up for responding with a match-winning total against the Lahore Qalandars at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Friday night.
Sammy went against the trend of teams bowling first by opting to bat first and they went on to put up 166 for six wickets in their 20 overs, in the 16th match of the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL).
Thereafter, his bowlers got into the act and triggered a collapse. And though Lahore Qalandars managed to get out of it, they couldn't go over the line. Peshwar Zalmi went on to win by 17 runs to strengthen their chances of making the play-offs.
"It was a crucial game and we were tempted to bowl first. But we looked at their squad and knew if we could pick up early wickets, we could put them under pressure," Sammy said after the game.
"And the decision worked well. We came back good. They came back well into the game when (Sunil) Narine was in the middle of that partnership, but we wanted to win and we did that. We have been winning tosses and bowling, but to do something different and put runs on the board, our batsmen came to the fore. Everyone chipped in and I thought 150 was a par score and we got 165," he added.
Meanwhile, Sammy's opposite number Brendon McCullum put this behind and said that their next game against the Karachi Kings will be vital.
"Anytime you lose five wickets like that, it is going to be tough, but we fought well and will look to come back well in the next game," said McCullum.
"We lost three wickets trying to be defensive, but credit to the opposition. They played well and their spinners bowled well. Our next game is crucial. We know if we turn up well, we can play. We are up against a strong Karachi side," he added.
The Qalandars take on Karachi Kings on Saturday evening.
james@khaleejtimes.com


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