KARACHI: On a day which began with the surreal reality of the coronavirus pandemic firmly taking hold on the PSL, Peshawar Zalmi fell to a loss against Multan Sultans at Karachi in what was a must win game for the team in yellow. Set a seemingly easy target to chase, Peshawar struggled but never looked out of it till the end. It left them bitterly disappointed with a game they would feel they should have done better with.
In the early hours of Friday, news had emerged that most foreign players would be leaving the country immediately. This was soon after the announcement that the remaining matches in Karachi would be held behind closed doors, with no fans. By the afternoon, the PCB announced that the tournament would be cut short by four days. Given all the other existential challenges that had threatened this historic PSL – the first to be played entirely in Pakistan – the rise of a global pandemic was perhaps one eventuality that no one had expected.
It meant a return to the PSL in front of an empty stadium, a constant blight during its run in the UAE. It also meant that both teams were missing important players, though Zalmi’s completely Pakistani squad suggested the bigger loss. But it didn’t immediately play out that way for Multan who were put into bat by Wahab Riaz who won the toss for Zalmi. After a steady start from their much heralded youngsters, Zeeshan Ashraf and the debutant Rohail Nazir, Multan crumbled in the middle phase. Moeen Ali and Ravi Bopara, two Englishmen who have chosen to stay, had miserable outings with the bat.
Zeeshan had reached his highest score in the PSL with 52, but the fall of his wicket led to a collapse as Multan folded tamely. Given Multan had already qualified there was also the suspicion that they just weren’t as plugged in as their opponents.
Those suspicions quickly fell away as Multan immediately put Zalmi on the back foot. Mohammad Irfan got rid of danger man, Kamran Akmal, which brought out the novel sight of Wahab walking in at three. The expectation would have been that the captain would use his big hitting prowess, but it never came to be. Wahab played a tepid knock before falling to Tanvir.
Imam ul Haq offered the main resistance around which Zalmi built, with veteran Shoaib Malik offering steady support. However, like Multan before the fall of wickets made it hard for the new batter to up the pace and Zalmi also began to collapse. They stumbled to the final over with a daunting 15 to get for their tail enders. But Multan’s newcomer Ali Shafiq almost ruined a fine over with two full toss no balls. It briefly brought Zalmi back but they lacked the requisite firepower to finish off the match.
Multan continued to show off the thoughtfulness with which their side has been built, as their experienced bowlers pulled back a match their batters had surely lost. Their win leaves the tournament still wide open with only three matches to go. Zalmi would be kicking themselves for letting this fall away, but with all that has been happening, there’s only so much that could be controlled.
Zalmi fail to grab chances in PSL thriller
https://arab.news/vmkc6
Zalmi fail to grab chances in PSL thriller
- Multan’s victory leaves the tournament still wide open with only three matches to go
- PCB announced that the contest would be cut short by four days amid coronavirus fears
Wawrinka rolls back the years to beat Lebanon’s Benjamin Hassan in front of Federer
- 3-time Slam winner upped his level when required to serve his way past Hassan at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships
- Top-ranked Arab player on the ATP Tour, Moez Echargui of Tunisia, was also in action on day 1, slipping to the narrowest of defeats to Mpetshi Perricard
DUBAI: Forty-year-old Stan Wawrinka, the three-time Grand Slam winner who is competing in his final Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships this week, rolled back the years on Centre Court to overcome Lebanese wildcard Benjamin Hassan in straight sets and become the oldest player to win a match in the Dubai tournament’s 34-year history.
Wawrinka’s record was previously held by his Swiss compatriot, the legendary Roger Federer, so it was fitting then that the 20-time Grand Slam winner was inside the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium to cheer on his fellow Olympic gold medalist.
“I’m not sure it’s the best record of his to have,” Wawrinka joked in his on-court interview as fans switched from cheering his every move to applauding an on-screen image of Federer, who won the title here eight times, including his last at the ripe old age of 37 in 2019. “(The appreciation of the fans) is one of the reasons why I have kept playing for so long — to enjoy these matches and these tournaments. I’m super grateful to all those who came out tonight.”
Wawrinka looked far from a player ready to hang up his racket as he beat Hassan 7-5, 6-3 and without dropping a single service game. That is not to say the German-born Hassan failed to put up a fight, but only that whenever he got close — and he forced three break-points across the two sets — Wawrinka seemed to go up a level. In both games where the Swiss looked like he might see his serve broken, he pulled an ace out of his bag to finish the match with nine aces overall.
“All good things have to come to an end,” Wawrinka said when asked why he is choosing to step away now when he evidently still has so much to offer. “Nobody can play forever and as much as I am passionate and still playing well, I know that it’s the right thing to do.”
Hassan, ranked World No. 289 and making his Dubai debut, revealed he was thankfully not aware of Federer’s presence until after the match, adding: “Stan played really good and was serving unbelievable. I had my chances to come back in the second set but unfortunately missed some returns. It was tough, but I’m happy with my performance. Lots of things to work on, of course, but overall, it was just a privilege to be here, to play my first match, and against Stan — it’s incredible.”
Asked in his post-match news conference whether he had taken the chance to speak with Federer at all, Hassan raised his hand in the air: “I’m never washing this hand again! He came to me and said ‘good match’ and I said ‘thank you’ in German. He looked a little bit surprised to hear that, but, yeah, I will always keep this hand dry now in the shower!”
Another Arab player was in action on day one as Tunisian Moez Echargui also made his Dubai debut, taking on France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the first round. In a match of the finest margins, Echargui — the highest-ranked Arab on tour at 141, yet ranked 83 places below his opponent — forced three tiebreaks before Mpetshi Perricard edged the final set to progress 7-6 (3), 6-7 (3), 7-6 (4).
Having made his ATP 500 debut last week in Doha, this month is proving eye-opening for the 33-year-old North African as he embraces the experience of playing in such high-profile events. Echargui and his coaches are using the new opportunities afforded to him as a wildcard to improve and learn as much as possible against the world’s best players.
“Going on Centre Court and playing against top players, it is where we want to be, playing in these big tournaments, in front of these big crowds”, said Echargui, whose next stop is Indian Wells next week. “Despite the result, I’m feeling really positive about it. I knew the match would be a hard one, so I just tried to stay focused all of the way through. I’m proud to represent my country and to represent all of the Arab world, especially here in Dubai. It’s such a privilege. It’s been fulfilling — a great experience.”
