LAHORE: Former Pakistan opener Kamran Akmal knocked a quickfire half century to take defending champions Peshawar Zalmi into the Pakistan Super League final with a 13-run victory over Karachi Kings in Lahore on Wednesday.
The 36-year-old scored a 27-ball 77 studded with eight well timed sixes and five boundaries to lift his team to 170-7 in 16-over-a-side game following a rain delay at a packed Gaddafi stadium.
Joe Denly scored an unbeaten 46-ball 79 and Babar Azam a 45-ball 63 but they were behind the required run rate as Karachi Kings finished at 157-2.
Peshawar Zalmi will now meet former champions Islamabad United in the final in Karachi on Sunday.
Earlier, Kamran smashed the Karachi Kings bowlers at will to take Peshawar to a solid total after they were put into bat by Karachi Kings skipper Mohammad Amir.
Karachi were forced to appoint Amir – banned for five years in a spot fixing scandal in 2010 – after their regular skipper Imad Wasim and key player Shahid Afridi could not recover in time from injury.
Kamran smashed two sixes and three boundaries in one over from Usman Shinwari but other than him only opener Andre Fletcher was amongst runs, making 34.
Kamran is the highest run-getter in this year's PSL with 424 runs in 12 matches.
Whirlwind Kamran lifts Peshawar Zalmi to PSL final
Whirlwind Kamran lifts Peshawar Zalmi to PSL final
Supersub strikes again as Sesko gives Man United win at Everton
- The defeat was a blow to Everton’s hopes of a place in next year’s European competitions and left it languishing in ninth, behind Brentford and Bournemouth
LIVERPOOL, England: Manchester United supersub Benjamin Sesko scored 13 minutes after entering the field to give his side a 1-0 win over Everton in the Premier League on Monday.
It was the third time in four games that Sesko has scored after coming off the bench and secured points for United.
“I believe in me and so do the other players as well,” Sesko told Sky Sports. “They know what they are going to get when I arrive in the game. It’s up to me to deliver of course.”
His goal with 19 minutes remaining finished off the slickest move of an otherwise stodgy game.
Bryan Mbeumo controlled Matheus Cunha’s superb long ball and played a perfectly weighted pass to the feet of Sesko, who steered the ball past Jordan Pickford with aplomb.
“It was a great finish,” United interim coach Michael Carrick said. “It was a ruthless finish. I liked the way he put it away with real confidence. It was great play from Cunha and Mbeumo to set it up and we are dangerous on the break.”
Until then defenses had been on top and the lack of attacking fluency was not helped by a heavy pitch that appeared to slow down both teams.
The result took fourth-placed United three points clear of Chelsea and Liverpool. United was three behind Aston Villa.
It also extended Carrick’s unbeaten run to six games since he replaced Ruben Amorim on Jan. 13.
The defeat was a blow to Everton’s hopes of a place in next year’s European competitions and left it languishing in ninth, behind Brentford and Bournemouth and eight points adrift of Chelsea and Liverpool.
David Moyes’ men have gone seven games without a win at their new Hill Dickinson Stadium.
“Generally we did very well in lots of bits,” Moyes said. “We got done on the counterattack and they ran away and got the goal that was there. We put in a great effort to get the goal but lacked the quality to make it count.”
