Australia’s Aaron Hardie has starred with both bat and ball to help Peshawar Zalmi win the Pakistan Super League (PLS) final overnight on Monday.
Batting first, the Hyderabad Kingsmen posted a score of 129 from 18 overs, Saim Ayub topscoring with 54.
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Marnus Labuschagne opened the batting and struck some boundaries before he was dismissed by Hardie, caught edging through to the wicketkeeper.
Fellow Aussie Glenn Maxwell didn’t trouble the scorers for Hyderabad, out for a golden duck.
Hardie finished with figures of 4/27 from his four overs before he also played a matchwinning knock with the bat.
Peshawar had work to do after Babar Azam was dismissed for a duck, but Hardie and Abdul Samad (48 off 34 balls) combined for an 85-run partnership to chase down the target with 28 balls to spare.
Watch Aaron Hardie’s PSL final highlights in the video above
Hardie showed superb skill and timing, striking nine boundaries through the covers, mid-wicket and down to third man as he steered his side to victory with 56 off 39 balls.
It was the first time a player had taken four wickets and scored a half century in a PSL final.
The 27-year-old all-rounder was mobbed by his teammates including captain Babar Azam and his performance will surely make Indian Premier League teams consider picking him up next year.
“It’s been great. I couldn’t have had a better start to my PSL journey, I’m super grateful to be part of Zalmi and to get to know everyone,” Hardie said.
“We’ve had great fun and, obviously, a really successful season. I’ve spent a fair bit of time in the subcontinent but haven’t played too much, so to be able to come over here and get a nice run into the finals has been awesome.”
In IPL action overnight, the Gujarat Titans claimed a four-wicket win over Punjab Kings, handing Ricky Ponting’s side just their second loss of the tournament.
Pace spearhead Mohammed Siraj set the tone with two wickets in the first over of the match as hosts Gujarat reduced top-of-the-table Punjab to 47-5 before they managed 163-9 in Ahmedabad.
Gujarat lost regular wickets in their chase but opener Sai Sudharsan’s 57 and an unbeaten 40 off 23 balls by Washington Sundar guided the team home with one ball to spare.
Needing 11 to win from the last over, Sundar, a left-handed batter, kept his nerve and smacked Marcus Stoinis for a winning six on the penultimate delivery.
Earlier Mohammed Siraj rattled Punjab with two wickets in two balls upfront including Cooper Connolly caught behind for a duck.
Siraj’s new-ball partner Kagiso Rabada took down Prabhsimran Singh for 15 and West Indies pace bowler Jason Holder came in as the third seamer to push Punjab on the backfoot.
Holder dismissed Nehal Wadhera and then Iyer but Stoinis, who made 40, and Suryansh Shedge, who hit 57, put on a defiant stand of 79 off 44 balls.
In the first match of the day, spinners Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine helped Kolkata Knight Riders to their third straight win as they beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by seven wickets. Kolkata are eighth, but still in the hunt for the playoffs with three wins from nine matches.
The top four teams after the league stage will qualify for the playoffs.
