Since it's inaugural season in 2016, the Pakistan Super League has blessed the fans with some extraordinary bowling performances. Right from Mohammad Sami’s 5/8 in the first season to Sohail Tanvir’s 4/13 in 2020, PSL has been a bystander as well as a perfect juncture for the bowlers.
Over the course of five years, bowlers have bowled some miraculous spells, and today, we take a look at three best bowling figures in Pakistan’s domestic T20 tournament, the Pakistan Super League.
- Umar Gul - 6/24 vs Quetta Gladiators
Playing for Multan Sultans in the 2018 edition of the tournament, fast bowler Umar Gul skimmed through Quetta Gladiators opening order, dismissing the likes of Asad Shafiq, Shane Watson and Rilee Rossouw to finish with a figure of 6/24. While the game is widely remembered for Hasan Khan’s winning six off Kieron Pollard in the penultimate ball of the game, Gul’s figures are majorly forgotten because it came in a losing cause.
Multan Sultans, batting first, posted 152/5 on board, and the match went to an extent that the Gladiators needed three runs of the final two deliveries. For Gul, it was an eventful night, as the list of his other victims included Anwar Ali and Mohammad Nawaz. By that time, Gul was only the second player in PSL history to take six wickets in an innings. Be that as it may, Gul was equally at fault for Quetta Gladiators’ comeback. By the end of his third over, the pacer had conceded just 11 runs. He gave away has many as 13 runs in his over brought Quetta right back into the game.
- Faheem Asraf - 6/19 vs Lahore Qalandars
Yet another instance where a sublime bowling effort was overshadowed by a batsman. In the 2019 edition of the Pakistan Super League, seamer Faheem Asraf picked the third six-wicket haul in the competition’s history as his team, Islamabad United won the game by 49 runs. Batting first, Islamabad posted 238/3 - highest team total in PSL till date - riding on Cameron Delport’s 60-ball 117. Their opponent Lahore Qalandars, however, didn’t bow down that easily.
Despite losing wickets at will, Lahore Qalandars rode on the back of Sohail Akhtar’s blistering 75. At the other end though, Asraf was weaving his magic. Not only did he pick six wickets, he managed those figures at an excellent economy of 4.75 after having conceded just 19 runs his four overs. On a day when batting records tumbled, Asraf did his job like a silent vigilante to register the second-best bowling figures in the Pakistan Super League.
- Ravi Bopara - 6/16 vs Lahore Qalandars
The inaugural season of PSL was a huge hit given that it attracted several overseas players. In the 17th match of the tournament, Karachi Kings’ Ravi Bopara picked the best bowling figures of the competition, scalping six wickets for just 16 runs against Lahore Qalandars. Bopara was not only vicious with the ball, but his 43-ball 71 had early guided Kings to 178/5. By that time, his all-round effort had briefly put him on the top of PSL runs as well as wickets list.
Lahore Qalandars looked well on course to achieving their target after Chris Gayle and Cameron Delport had stitched a brilliant 98-run partnership. Bopara ended the run, picking out the former in his very first delivery and this is when he wrecked carnage. The England all-rounder missed out on a hat-trick, but he did manage to pick three wickets in one over when he dismissed Mohammad Rizwan, Hammad Azam and Naved Yasin. His figures of 6/16 are yet to be bettered.
Feature image courtesy: AFP / Aamir Qureshi
