KARACHI: Peshawar Zalmi’s head coach Mohammad Akram said that the most crucial point where the match turned in Islamabad United’s favour on Sunday night at the National Stadium was when Kamran Akmal dropped Asif Ali’s catch.
Asif Ali smashed three sixes, scoring an unbeaten six-ball 26-run knock and helping his team reach victory from a point where the match could have gone anyway.
“If Kamran had taken that catch then the pressure would be on Islamabad United,” Akram said during a post-match press briefing. Had Akmal taken Ali’s catch, United would have to score 30 runs with only three wickets in hand, and that is a lot of pressure.
Opener Luke Ronchi put Islamabad United in a commanding position with his 26-ball 52 but after he departed with 96 runs on board and 53 more runs to score a victory off 67 balls with nine wickets in hand, Zalmi bounced back picking the next five wickets for 20 runs. Asif Ali was dropped early by Kamran Akmal, who went on to take the team to victory stand.
However, Akram also praised Akmal for his performance in previous games.
