PSL Islamabad thump Peshawar to face Quetta in fi

DUBAI: Sharjeel Khan’s smashing 117 off 62 balls steered Islamabad United to a comfortable 50-run win against Peshawar Zalmi and secured his team’s place for the final against’Quetta Gladiators in the first Pakistan Super League (PSL) being played in UAE.Sharjeel Khan’s aggressive batting produced remarkable 117 (62) with the help of 8 sixes and 12 fours, taking Islamabad’s score to a solid 176 runs which later its bowlers made too difficult for Peshawar to achieve in the 3rd qualifying final of the PSL here at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.Chasing what became impossible target of 177 for Peshawar Zalmi, Karman Akmal emerged as the highest scorer with 45 (32). He hit 5 fours and 2 sixes. Shahid Afridi was the second best at 38 off 17 balls with the help of 4 sixes and 2 fours.Peshawar Zalmi could only put 126 runs on the score board before all its players got out in the 18th over.Imran Khalid made most of the damage by taking four wickets for Islamabad while AD Russell sent 3 players to the pavilion. Muhammad Irfan, S Badree and Muhammad Sami bagged one wicket each.Sharjeel Khan was declared man of the match.Ealier, Peshawar Zalmi won the toss and put Islamabad United into bat.The final showdown will be between Islamabad United and Quetta Gladiators on Tuesday (February 23).Teams:Peshawar Zalmi: Mohammad Hafeez, Dawid Malan, Kamran Akmal (wk), Shahid Yousuf, Brad Hodge, Shahid Afridi (captain), Darren Sammy, Wahab Riaz, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Asghar, Shaun TaitIslamabad United: Sharjeel Khan, Dwayne Smith, Asif Ali, Brad Haddin (wk), Khalid Latif, Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Andre Russell, Samuel Badree, Imran Khalid, Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Sami