Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer lead England to imposing win

England 311 for 8 (Stokes 89, Morgan 57, Roy 54, Root 51, Ngidi 3-66) beat South Africa 207 (de Kock 68, van der Dussen 50, Archer 3-27) by 104 runs
As it happened

Ambles in like Bambi. Hunts wickets like a zombie. Jofra Archer is a #BambiZombie. And the opening match of the 2019 World Cup was all the richer for it.

By the end of the game - which England won by 104 runs - the mood at The Oval was well beyond festive. They'd found a match-winner. Across formats. For years to come. And they'd seen their firestarter up to his old tricks.

Ben Stokes was the top scorer of the day. But that wasn't his most eye-catching contribution. Scroll down the scorecard to Andile Phehlukwayo's dismissal. Doesn't say much, does it? Caught Stokes bowled Rashid. Yawn.

Now trawl through the internet - go into its darkest corners if necessary - and watch as the allrounder tracks a brutally hit slog-sweep on the midwicket boundary. Marvel as he never takes his eyes off it. And gasp as he times his jump perfectly. Then brace yourself for about half an hour's disbelief as he sticks his right hand up over his head, and behind him, to come away with a catch that will be talked about for ages. Just like the #OhMyBroad one.

South Africa, at that point, were 180 for 7. They'd given the chase of 312 a proper go, with Quinton de Kock announcing his claim to be part of the next generation's Fab Four with a half-century that was highlighted by his maturity in respecting the bowling when it was difficult and punishing it when it gave him the slightest chance. A lofted cover drive for six off Liam Plunkett was a particularly ringing endorsement of his monster talent.

But even he had to be shoved into the background as Archer burst onto the stage and demanded everyone's attention. Especially the other eight oppositions'.

As England's batting revolution was waving bye-bye to uncharted territory and bounding into the never-before-imagined, there has been fear that the bowling wouldn't keep up. Their seam attack felt samey. It needed something different; something radical. Archer is exactly that.

He generates pace out of nowhere; 90 mph of it. A bouncer in the fourth over of the chase hit Hashim Amla flush on the grille. It was too quick for him. Too quick for an all-time legend. And made him retire hurt. Then Archer sprung the same trap on the South African captain. A short ball surprised Faf du Plessis and had him caught at long leg. After decades of being decimated by raw pace - Allan Donald, Mitchell Johnson, Michael Holding - England now have their own bonafide speed demon.

KL Rahul the hero as Kings XI Punjab remain unbeaten at home

Kings XI Punjab 151 for 4 (Rahul 71*, Agarwal 55, Sandeep 2-21) beat Sunrisers Hyderabad 150 for 4 (Warner 70*, Ashwin 1-30) by six wickets

KL Rahul's third fifty in four matches helped Kings XI Punjab over the line with a ball to spare, ensuring they maintained a perfect home record in IPL 2019 with a six-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad. The visiting bowling unit did well to stretch the match into the final over as a 114-run second-wicket stand between Rahul and Mayank Agarwal nearly went to waste due to a late stumble chasing a target of 151.

With 19 off 18 balls required and nine wickets in hand, Sandeep Sharma and Siddharth Kaul suddenly dragged Sunrisers back into the contest with a superb pair of death overs that claimed Agarwal, David Miller and Mandeep Singh to leave Rahul and new man Sam Curran needing 11 to get off the final over bowled by Mohammad Nabi. But Sunrisers paid for sloppy fielding in the ensuing sequence as a pair of would-be singles by Curran turned into two twos, before a final fumble by David Warner at long-on on the penultimate ball allowed a single to become another two for the winning run.

Power outage

After R Ashwin won the toss and sent the visitors in to bat, the Kings XI bowling unit strangled Sunrisers top-order in the first half of the innings. Jonny Bairstow fell to Mujeeb Ur Rahman's fourth ball in the second over as a leg stump line of attack that initially resulted in a pair of leg-side wides finally paid off with a catch flicked to Ashwin at midwicket.

Warner survived a run-out chance by Miller at backward point on 4 in the fifth over as both he and Vijay Shankar struggled to get momentum going in the face of a disciplined display by the hosts, ending the Powerplay at 27 for 1. The pair reached 50 for 1 at the halfway mark, having gone 5.1 overs without a boundary. The pressure finally resulted in Shankar edging Ashwin behind in the 11th as his attempted late cut to third man went awry due to some extra bounce.

Warner shifts gears

Entering the 16th over, Warner was still striking at under a run a ball before taking Mujeeb on to give Sunrisers a late burst. Warner had earlier showed signs of getting unstuck by reverse sweeping Mujeeb over point for a boundary in the 13th and became aggressive once more against the Afghan by stepping outside leg stump to loft him over long-on for six, moving to 47 off 46 balls. He brought up a 49-ball half-century later in the over, the slowest of Warner's T20 career.

Warner survived another chance on the second ball of the final over. After Mohammed Shami had Manish Pandey caught at deep midwicket to start the over, Warner should have been out on 69 gloving an attempted scoop to the keeper but was given not out. A single next ball allowed Deepak Hooda on strike, who flicked four past the keeper before two straight drives accounted for another 10 runs to complete 100 off the final 10 overs for Sunrisers.

Rashid nabs Gayle the whale

The teenage Afghan legspinner took a famous beating at the hands of the Universe Boss on the same ground last season when Gayle torched Rashid Khan for six sixes, including four in a row during one over, on the way to an unbeaten 104 off 63 balls. Rashid ended with 1 for 55 on that day in a Kings XI win.

But on this occasion, their showdown was short and sweet in favour of Rashid who nabbed the biggest fish out there. Having already scored 16 of Kings XI's first 18 runs, Gayle decided to take on the first delivery Rashid bowled after entering the attack in the fourth over and wound up driving a catch to Hooda at long-on, who charged in for a brilliant take.

Rahul stays cool

After Gayle fell, wickets were hard to come by for Rashid and everyone else in the Sunrisers bowling unit. Rahul continued his fine early season form by steering the rest of the Kings XI chase. He smacked Nabi for two boundaries in the 13th to bring up a 34-ball half-century.

Victory looked assured before the late wobble of wickets. But after five runs by Curran to start the final over, Rahul's dominance over Nabi continued with a straight driven four to take the equation down to two off two balls. Another flick by Rahul toward long-on was certain to level the scores but wound up becoming the winning shot after Warner couldn't pick up the ball cleanly.

Alex Hales, Asif see Islamabad through, Karachi Kings eliminated

Islamabad United 164 for 6 (Hales 41, Delport 38, Talat 32, Asif 24*, Umer 2-16) beat Karachi Kings 161 for 9 (Babar 42, Munro 32, Musa 3-42, Faheem 2-30) by 4 wickets

How the game played out

Karachi Kings may be one of the less prolific sides in this competition's brief history, but they are the only side to have knocked Islamabad United out of any PSL tournament. That victory came in an Eliminator two years ago. But today, Islamabad United avenged that loss in a scrappy, entertaining game where both sides chugged along like an antique car on a dodgy engine, hurtling along seemingly without control before grinding to a halt at various stages of their innings. The upshot was a four-wicket win for Islamabad, who chased down Karachi's 161 with three balls to spare.

Despite the loss, the most memorable part of the game was arguably the first six overs. Karachi had courageously won the toss and chosen to bat first in a tournament where that decision is close to sacrilege, and blistered to 50 in just 20 balls as Colin Munro finally began to make good on the talent based on which he was signed. When he feathered an edge to Mohammad Musa, he had smashed 32 runs in a mere 11 balls, and Karachi were motoring along at 17 an over. They would go on to add an eye-watering 78 in the first six, as the boundaries flew like confetti.

Islamabad came back to choke them after the Powerplay ended, and somehow maintained that stranglehold right throughout the innings, with Karachi only just managing to double their Powerplay total, in the end limping to 161 for nine. Most of Islamabad's bowlers had recovered their figures, and the one who was most expensive - Muhammad Musa - was the highest wicket-taker, having removed Munro, Ingram and Iftikhar Ahmed.

Islamabad's chase always looked tight, not helped by a slow start and Ronchi's early departure. Alex Hales and Cameron Delport saw them through the Powerplay, but the nerves wouldn't have been eased as the asking rate continued to rise in the face of a stellar bowling attack and a world-class spell from Umer Khan. Towards the end, it came down to Islamabad's own local talent in Faheem Ashraf, Asif Ali and Hussain Talat to manage the asking rate. Mohammad Amir missed his lines once too often, Babar Azam dropped a catch once too frequently and Karachi were simply a few too short in the final overs. It all amounted to Islamabad getting to the finish line just in time, dashing Karachi's hopes of a title on home soil.

Turning point

Karachi began to struggle as soon as that whirlwind of a Powerplay came to a close, but the final three overs were especially ruinous to their chances. Positioned at 150 for six with three overs to go, they still had the opportunity to pose a stiff challenge with a brisk finish. Instead, the last three overs saw a mere 11 runs scored.

Star of the day

Pakistan have swooned over the fast bowling gems they may have unearthed this tournament, and bemoaned the lack of exciting local batsmen. But the find of the competition may be 19-year old Umer Khan, perhaps the most promising spinner to come out of the PSL since Shadab Khan. Having impressed ever since he got AB de Villiers out weeks ago, Umer has found a way to get the biggest names of the planet out just when Karachi have required him to. His spell today was one of the spells of the tournament, with the teenager the only bowler to find genuine drift and turn on a flat wicket. He wasn't afraid of flighting the ball, and found due rewards, finding the outside edges of Delport and Chadwick Walton within three deliveries of each other. He ended up with 4-0-16-2, and if ever a performance deserved not to end up in the losing side, it was his.

The big miss

Ronchi has the highest strike rate in the world off the first 10 balls, but the New Zealand opener was strangely subdued over that period today. Valued around the world because he doesn't need so much as a warm-up ball to begin attacking the bowlers, Ronchi played out nine deliveries today, unable to get one to the boundary rope. Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir and Aamer Yamin all executed their plans perfectly, pitching the ball short of a length. It deprived Ronchi of the ability to strike the ball through the line. The change-up came off his ninth ball, with Yamin sending down a wide yorker that Ronchi could only mishit to mid-on. 5 off 9 is an unlikely innings breakdown for the Islamabad talisman, and in a game of exceptionally fine margins, they almost ended up paying for it.

Big picture

Karachi bow out with today's defeat, with Islamabad through to the playoff with Peshawar tomorrow. The winner of that contest plays Quetta Gladiators in the final.

Kamran, Imam, Hasan Ali dismantle Karachi Kings

Peshawar Zalmi 203 for 7 (Kamran 86, Imam 59, Amir 3-24) beat Karachi Kings 142 (Ingram 71, Imad 30, Hasan Ali 3-15) by 61 runs

How the game played out

There was never likely to be much on the line in this game. A victory for Karachi Kings might have put them level with Peshawar Zalmi on 12 points, but so poor had Kings' run rate been, and so healthy was Zalmi's that Kings would have had to chase down Zalmi's target in 9.1 overs to finish in the top two.

Very quickly, it became apparent that Zalmi was not going to roll over so easily. Usman Shinwari had been Kings' hero as he bowled an outstanding final over on Sunday night, but on Monday, it was in his first over that the opposition's charge began. Kamran Akmal struck three fours off that first Shinwari over - the most attractive of his shots an on-the-up drive to pierce the covers. He and Imam-ul-Haq, who hit three fours himself in the fourth over of the innings, were outstanding in the Powerplay. Together they put on 61 by the end of six overs - Akmal hitting two sixes off spin to make 37 of those runs.

Where Imam slowed down a touch when the field restrictions ended, Akmal's assault maintained its intensity. He was sweeping Umer Khan for six, pummeling Imad Wasim down the ground, and blasting the quicks around the ground as well, though not with quite the same frequency. In the 12th over, bowled by Umer, he hit a four, six and a four in succession. With Imam (who had earlier been dropped on 32 off the bowling of Shinwari, in the ninth over) also having struck a six before turning the strike over to Akmal, Zalmi plundered 23 off that over. Umer's economy rate lay in tatters - him having given away 45 off three overs.

The partnership - worth 137 in 13.2 overs - was easily Zalmi's best ever opening stand. Akmal was first to go, in what was perhaps the most eventful over of the innings, bowled by Colin Munro. After he had had Akmal caught at extra cover for 86 off 48 balls, including 10 fours and five sixes, Munro was immediately monstered for two sixes down the ground by Kieron Pollard. Then, in fifth ball of the over, Pollard tried to hit his third consecutive six and holed out to long off, leaving Munro to perform celebrations that might have been interpreted as a send-off in international cricket, though the PSL match officials might be a little more lenient. In any case, the over had two sixes and two wickets in the space of four balls.

Having been 150 for 2 after 14 overs, perhaps Zalmi would have wanted a score in the range of 220, rather than the 203 for 7 that they ended up with, but it did not matter that they ran out of steam towards the end of their innings - Amir coming back to bowl some excellent overs at the death.

With ball in hand, Zalmi were almost as irresistible as they had been in the first innings. Hasan Ali and Sameen Gul both struck early to leave Kings two down after two overs - Gul removing the dangerous Babar Azam. By the end of the eighth over, Wahab Riaz had struck as well, and the required rate was well over 11.

Colin Ingram produced a sustained assault, hitting 71 off 37 balls in an innings that featured seven fours and four sixes, but he was caught at mid-off off the bowling of Tymal Mills, and Kings' innings unraveled spectacularly from there. Having been 125 for 5 in the middle of the 14th over, they ended up being all out in the 17th, with 142 runs on the board. Hasan Ali buttressed his reputation as the league's best bowler with 3 for 15, and now sits two wickets clear of Islamabad United's Faheem Ashraf on the wicket-takers' list, with 21 dismissals to his name.

Turning point

This was basically all one-way traffic, wasn't it? Zalmi made only one run in the first over - bowled by Amir - but reaped 14 in the second to take Kings by the collar, and did not relinquish their grip from there onwards. Zalmi did lose five wickets for 53 runs in the last six overs of their innings, but they had made so much ground earlier on, that theirs was always a commanding match position. When Kings lost their top three inside the first four overs, it was beyond even the considerable powers of Ingram to get them back in the game.

Star of the day

The easy choice would be Kamran Akmal, for his 86 at a strike rate of 179. But almost as impressive was Amir, who even despite Hasan's superior figures, was the best bowler of the evening. Where Hasan had the benefit of scoreboard pressure, Amir was the talisman in Kings' misfiring attack, taking 3 for 24 from his four overs. It was his last two overs that helped restrict Zalmi, and prevented the opposition from turning their outstanding total into a truly gargantuan one.

The big miss

Perhaps it would not have made a huge difference to the outcome, but had a diving Liam Livingstone held on to a tough catch off Imam-ul-Haq in the ninth over, they would have dented that wonderful opening stand. Imam went on to add 27 more runs, finishing on 59 off 40 balls.

Where the teams stand

Zalmi have cemented their place in Wednesday's qualifier against Quetta Gladiators. In fact, so comprehensive was this win, that Zalmi actually finished the league stage top of the table with 14 points, which is the same as Gladiators, only Zalmi have a superior net run rate.

Kings, who had confirmed their presence in the playoffs with that sensational win over Gladiators on Sunday night, will play the first eliminator, against Islamabad United on Thursday. The winner of the eliminator, and the loser of the Gladiators v Zalmi qualifier, will then play what is effectively a semi-final on Friday. The winner of the Gladiators v Zalmi game goes straight through to the final.

Rabada, Ngidi, Nortje save South Africa after batting collapse

South Africa 251 (de Kock 94, du Plessis 57, Thisara 3-26) v beat Sri Lanka 138 (Oshada 31, Rabada 3-43, Ngidi 2-14) by 113 runs

South Africa lost 6 for 31 this afternoon, but the hosts' bowling attack then reversed the treatment to dismantle Sri Lanka's chase under lights at Centurion. Kagiso Rabada led the attack with 3 for 43 and Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje and Imran Tahir all struck twice as the visitors collapsed from 92 for 3 to 138 all out in pursuit of 252. On a pitch that encouraged both seam and spin, South Africa had also been bowled out short of their full complement of overs, and were thankful for Quinton de Kock's 94 and Faf du Plessis' 57 as Sri Lanka's bowlers, lead by Thisara Perera's 3 for 26 in his 150th ODI, also shared the wickets around.

Had Niroshan Dickwella and Avishka Fernando been able to set aside quick runs and simply survive Rabada and Ngidi's opening bursts, the job would only have become easier for Sri Lanka on a pitch that remained generally good for batting - cracks aside - throughout. But the visiting openers instead sought to go after the new ball, without much success.

Dickwella backed away into a wild, top-edged pull that was safely pouched by de Kock in the third over - Rabada's 100th ODI wicket - and Avishka swiped a four and a top-edged six before he was bowled swinging across the line at Ngidi not long after. Rabada bowled what could be his fastest spell of the summer with the new ball, reaching speeds of as much as 151.8kph.

Nortje didn't find the dry track at the Wanderers on Sunday much to his liking, but there was a little more pace in this pitch and he was off to the perfect start when he found the leading edge of Kusal Perera's bat with his first ball of the evening. While not quite as quick as Rabada, Nortje topped out at 148kph in his first spell, and also played his part in the field.

His direct-hit from short third man found Kusal Mendis short of his ground and run-out for 24, with the batsman furious at the miscommunication with Oshada Fernando that brought his downfall. Oshada soon joined him in the dressing room, trapped lbw by Nortje with Sri Lanka in the mire at 92 for 5.

When de Silva chipped Rabada tamely to du Plessis at midwicket Sri Lanka were six down, and South Africa forced the issue by bringing in a slip and a short leg in and coming around the stumps at Akila Dananjaya. Imran Tahir then got to work on the lower order, a double-strike in his eighth over further denting Sri Lanka's chase.

Thisara Perera holed out to deep cover the ball after he had slogged Tahir onto the grass banks over midwicket, and Kasun Rajitha was pinned in front by a quick googly first ball. Rabada and Ngidi returned to deliver the last rites, with South Africa field-testing David Miller as a back-up wicketkeeper as the match reached a swift conclusion.

South Africa's innings had collapsed in similar fashion this afternoon, but the hosts had been given a strong start by de Kock, who missed out on another possible hundred but put together a 91-run opening stand with Reeza Hendricks. He looked set to reach his first limited-overs hundred of the summer when an expansive swipe into the leg side brought only a top edge that was easily snaffled by Dickwella behind the stumps. Du Plessis kept the score ticking over with his half-century, but his dismissal sparked a collapse as South Africa slipped from 220 for 4 to be bowled out with almost five overs of their innings unused.

De Kock burst out of the blocks with four boundaries in the arc between backward point and wide long-off in Vishwa Fernando's first over. He thrashed 11 boundaries inside the first Powerplay, raising a 36-ball fifty - his 20th in ODIs and sixth against Sri Lanka.

Hendricks' departure in the 15th over barely slowed de Kock, and with back-t0-back boundaries off Akila he motored through the 70s. Then he took Dhananjaya on, plundering 15 from his second over of the innings. But with a 14th ODI ton in sight, he fell against the run of play to give Sri Lanka the opening they were searching for.

Rassie van der Dussen came and went for just 2, while Wiaan Mulder batted in fast-forward, hitting the first four balls he faced to the boundary, but was then bowled around his legs by Vishwa to leave South Africa wobbling at 176 for 4.

Du Plessis and David Miller shored up the innings with a 44-run stand, du Plessis raising his fifty and going past 5,000 runs in ODI cricket in the process. But his dismissal, bowled by a delivery from Thisara that kept low in the 37th over, started the slide in earnest.

In the space of just under nine overs, South Africa's lower order collapsed in a heap. It had been expected that conditions here would suit the side batting second, and all the indications were that South Africa were 30 or 40 runs short of where they could have been. But the all-round brilliance of their bowlers meant that their 251 was plenty, and they will go to Durban 2-0 up.

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Jeet Raval and Latham hundreds set up New Zealand's dominance

New Zealand 451 for 4 (Williamson 93*, Wagner 1*) lead Bangladesh 234 by 217 runs

Jeet Raval reached his maiden Test hundred

Jeet Raval and Tom Latham put down the strongest foundation possible, on which Kane Williamson built steadily with help from Henry Nicholls as New Zealand dominated the second day in Hamilton. Three of their four wickets came from Bangladesh's part-timers as none of their specialist bowlers put together a spell to talk about.

Raval, who made his maiden Test hundred and Latham, who made his fourth 150-plus score, put together 254 for the opening stand. Then Williamson, unbeaten on 93 at the close, added 100 for the fourth wicket with Nicholls, who chipped in with a half-century filled with pretty shots. The stand put together by Raval and Latham was the third highest in New Zealand's Test history.

They began the second morning just as they had ended the first day, with total dominance. Raval pushed the scoring rate with regular boundaries in the first hour, before moving into the nineties with a superbly timed boundary off Khaled Ahmed. The century was reached soon afterwards from 163 balls with a pull off Ebadat Hossain. He also reached 1000 Test runs off the same ball.

Within the first seven overs of the post-lunch session Latham, who had been dropped second ball yesterday evening, also reached his hundred off 170 balls, albeit a little fortunately with a top edged pull off Abu Jayed. Until that point, Latham had scored half his boundaries in the straight arc, between mid-on and mid-off, and the other half through point and square-leg.

Raval also kept up the pressure from his end, hitting Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Ebadat for boundaries, the second a delightful dab between wide slip and gully. But he fell to Mahmudullah in the 70th over, skying a catch to Khaled at midwicket, to give the visitors at least something to smile. Raval had struck 19 fours and a six in his knock that spanned just over five hours.

The wicket hardly affected Latham who continued to cut, pull and loft spin and pace with ease, as he entered an impressive New Zealand club of batsmen to have crossed 150 for four or more times. Soon after the tea break, however, Mohammad Mithun grabbed an excellent chance at a wide slip when Latham tried to slash Soumya Sarkar to third man, bringing an end an innings that spanned 248 balls in just over six hours at the crease

Soumya shared the second new ball in an interesting move and it paid off when he had Ross Taylor lbw for 4 with a delivery that moved into his front pad as Taylor tried playing around it.

But the New Zealand batting line-up is full of steady hands, Williamson and Nicholls took over the innings building duty, initially with a little more caution but the pace never slowed that much. Nicholls found boundaries within a short time, including a late cut, straight drive, cover drive and a pick-up through midwicket that really stood out.

During all this time, Williamson accumulated another Test fifty without much fuss. There were the driven boundaries through mid-off as well as well-timed square cuts, but his approach was more of a background guy. He was missed on 81 when he edged Mehidy fine of Soumya at slip, a tough chance but the fielder appeared a little slow to react.

At the end of a day of toil, Mehidy claimed his first wicket with delivery that held its line and bowled Nicholls who didn't offer a shot. It brought a smile to some of the Bangladesh faces, although it was one tough outing and they found themselves well behind New Zealand.

Sohail Iftikhar, Imad Wasim see off tricky chase for Karachi Kings

Karachi Kings 134 for 5 (Livingstone 38, Iftikhar 33*, Imad 19*, Lamichhane 2-17) beat Lahore Qalandars 133 for 5 (de Villiers 33, Sohail 29*, Iftikhar 2-4) by five wickets

How the game played out

Karachi and Lahore are the two largest cities in Pakistan, boasting a population in excess of 25 million. These are gigantic numbers, but when the two meet in the PSL, big numbers are in short supply. The two played out an edgy low-scoring contest for the second time in ten days, but this time Karachi Kings prevailed, thanks to an an all-round performance from Iftikhar Ahmed helping them to a five-wicket win. Karachi's need was greater, and they propel themselves back in contention for the playoffs.

It was a subdued batting performance from Lahore, who never seemed to get the lift-off they needed to put up a more testing total. Fakhar Zaman was well contained at the top, while Haris Sohail could manage no more than a start. Even AB de Villiers couldn't be his destructive self, and even though the South African was at the crease for the better part of Lahore's innings, they would have been hoping for more than a somewhat plodding 32-ball 33. Iftikhar was the pick of Karachi's bowlers, oddly bowling just two overs, but conceding just four runs and taking the wickets of Fakhar and Haris in the process. It meant they put up 133, left needing another big performance from their bowlers on a track that had begun to slow.

The bowlers did give it a right go, with Sandeep Lamichhane continuing his dazzling form. He took 2 for 17 in his four, with David Weise impressively economical and Haris Rauf irrepressibly valiant. But not everyone was able to deliver in the way they needed to defend a low total. Yasir Shah was disappointing and expensive, and when Aizaz Cheema bowled a no-ball that went for four, Imad Wasim thumped the ensuing free hit for another boundary. That was it for the Lahore fightback, and impressive as it had been, the flawlessness necessary to defend 133 wasn't quite there.

Turning point

Iftikhar's first over was the stuff of dreams for Imad's side. He bowled wide to the left-hander, frustrating Fakhar, who skied his second ball straight to a fielder. Two balls later, he had de Villiers sweeping straight to Babar Azam, who dropped a simple catch. Off the last ball, there was a run-out chance, de Villiers surviving by inches. Iftikhar's day had just begun, and Lahore would never get on the front foot again.

Fakhar opened the bowling in defense of a low total. There was little margin for error in the Powerplay, and the gamble did not work. Karachi carted him around for 14, and they were already off and running.

Star of the day

He won't get the plaudits today because there was just so much happening, but just when Karachi seemed like they might lose their way, Liam Livingstone's calm head set them back on course. Coming in during a time when Karachi had scored just 10 runs in four overs, he began his innings by taking six singles in Lamichhane's third over. In the next two overs, he found a four and a six off Weise and Yasir to keep the asking rate in check. That fifty-run partnership with Colin Ingram may not be the most explosive, but it was precisely what Karachi required in a moment when Lahore threatened to undo all their good work. Livingstone ensured that wouldn't happen, scoring 38 off 34 to become the tournament's leading run-scorer, and more importantly, keep his side in real contention.

The big miss

It might have been conjectured that bowling with Yasir would give Lamichhane an invaluable learning experience, but on the evidence of their performances, much of the advice may be heading the other way. While Lamichhane has thrived after a rough start, Yasir's game looks like it has fallen away badly. He never looked in control of the spinning deliveries, and whenever he tried the googly, he invariably ended up dragging it short. The batsmen appeared to pick him out of the hand far better than they did the Nepalese teenager.

The 11th over saw Livingstone mete out the toughest punishment, smashing him for two fours and a six on an over that cost 18. That brought the asking rate from 7.5 to almost a run a ball, with Yasir conceding 21 off 3.1 overs. The contrast of Lamichhane's success gives the more experienced Yasir plenty to ponder with regards to adapting his game for the shortest format.

Where the teams stand

Karachi and Lahore now both have three wins in seven games, occupying fourth and fifth positions respectively. They're ahead of Multan Sultans, who have just two wins in seven.

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kieron Pollard, Umer Amin smash Peshawar Zalmi to victory

Peshawar Zalmi 176 for 3 (Umar Amin 54*, Pollard 52*) beat Multan Sultans 172 for 5 (Charles 57, Vince 41) by seven wickets

Umar Amin watches on fly off his bat PSL

How the game played out

Twin fifties by Umar Amin and Kieron Pollard helped Peshawar Zalmi surge past Multan Sultans' total of 172 in a seven-wicket win at Dubai.

Sultans got off to a red-hot start reaching 65 for 1 in the Powerplay, after being sent in, and continued to cruise behind Johnson Charles' 26-ball half-century. But after Charles fell in the 13th at 114 for 2, there was no finishing kick.

By comparison, Zalmi had a much slower start but paced their chase well. Amin played the anchor role in a 50-run third-wicket stand with Imam-Ul-Haq before continuing to play second fiddle to Pollard in their unbeaten 91-run stand. His seventh four in a 37-ball 54 ensured Zalmi got across the line with four balls to spare.

The result completes a season sweep for Zalmi over Sultans after they overcame another Charles half-century just four days earlier.

Turning points

Charles got going in the sixth over, hitting Wahab Riaz for four boundaries in the over. Six of his eight fours wound up coming off the left-arm quick, including the one that brought up Sultans' hundred in the 11th over.

Liam Dawson got lucky in the 13th when a half-tracker stayed very low to slip under Charles' attempted pull, bowling him for 57.

Zalmi needed 54 off 26 balls and Pollard was on 14 when he skied a pull off Mohammad Irfan to Charles at deep midwicket, but the fielder fumbled a fairly easy chance. Pollard struck Junaid for six over midwicket off the very next ball he faced in the 17th, then clubbed three sixes in a row to end the 18th and bring up a 25-ball 50. Suddenly, Zalmi only needed 13 off 12 balls.

Star of the day

Zalmi's pedestrian Powerplay - 39 for 2 - meant they were behind the asking rate for much of the innings before Pollard came to the crease in the 12th over. After getting off the mark with a six against Shahid Afridi, he made the most of the second life offered by Charles. In the span of three balls, he took the required rate down from more than 12 to a shade over six heading into the final two overs.

The big miss

Imam went to pull a good length ball from Mohammad Ilyas in the fifth over but missed in a big way, resulting in a severe blow to the unmentionables. After a four-minute delay for treatment from the physio, he was finally able to resume on 10 and eventually made 39 before he was stumped charging Afridi.

Where the teams stand

Zalmi's fourth win draws them level with Islamabad United and Quetta Gladiators on eight points, but they top the table thanks to a vastly superior net run-rate. Sultans remain in fifth place on four points, fractionally ahead of Karachi Kings on net run-rate.

Livingstone, Babar Azam, M.Amir star in Karachi Kings' opening win

Karachi Kings 183 for 6 (Livingstone 82, Babar 77, Green 3-32) beat Multan Sultans 176 for 9 (Malik 52, Evans 49, Amir 4-25) by seven runs

How the game played out

A record PSL stand between debutant Liam Livingstone and the No.1 T20I batsman Babar Azam followed by Mohammad Amir's expertise at the death fashioned a tight seven-run opening win for Karachi Kings.

Babar Azam chops one down to third man PCB/PSL

How did this even get this tight after Livingstone and Babar struck up a 157-run opening stand - the highest for any wicket in the league? After the fireworks at the top, Karachi's innings fizzled out in the end as they lost 6 for 26 to be limited to 183 for 6.

Multan Sultans' captain Shoaib Malik blitzed a 24-ball fifty - headlined by 4,4,4,4,6 off Ravi Bopara in the 14th over - and then former Karachi King Shahid Afridi and Hammad Azam threatened a late jailbreak in the chase. But Amir's bag of slower cutters and rapid yorkers, combined with sharp catching in the outfield sealed Multan's fate.

Turning points

Livingstone and Babar teed off against the new ball on a pitch that got slower as the match progressed. They ran up 53 in the Powerplay and never looked back. Multan then managed only 38 for 1 in their first six overs.

When Multan needed 20 off the last two overs with five wickets in hand, they were in with a strong chance to script a come-from-behind win. But Amir got rid of Afridi and Azam in a four-run penultimate over to set Multan up for a narrow defeat.

Star of the day

The new kid on the block: Livingstone. He's a star for Lancashire in the T20 Blast in England and even had an IPL contract with Rajasthan Royals before he forayed into the PSL. He regularly ventured down the track and upset the lines and lengths of Multan's bowlers. The highlight of his 43-ball 82 was the breathtaking one-handed six off Mohammad Ilyas in the 14th over. When the seamer pitched one up on off, Livingstone's bottom hand flew off the bat, but he still generated enough power to launch it over the long-off boundary with the top hand.

And oh, he even dared to step out against Afridi's fizzing arm balls. One such advance down the pitch saw him drill Afridi over the sightscreen.

The big miss

Karachi's collapse of 6 for 26. After the rollicking opening stand, they were well-placed to notch up a 200-plus total, but their middle order faltered against Chris Green's offbreaks and the change-ups from Junaid Khan and Andre Russell. On another day, such a collapse might have cost them the game. However on this day, Amir saved them.

Where the teams stand

This is only the second game of the season. Karachi slotted in behind Islamabad United, who top the table by virtue of a superior run rate. Multan are right behind Karachi while Lahore Qalandars are at a familiar position: rock-bottom.


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Shadab Khan and M.Amir star in Pakistan's consolation win

Toss South Africa chose to bowl v Pakistan

In a compromise that suited both sides, South Africa won the toss and opted to bowl. Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik said he would have batted anyway.

On the face of it, this might have been a slightly surprising decision from David Miller. South Africa won the first two games batting first - in those cases Pakistan had put them in. And the last time the two sides played in Centurion in a T20I, Pakistan batted first and piled on 195, before skittling the hosts out for 100 to inflict their worst ever defeat.

Miller was confident, however, that an unchanged side would be confident on the back of the last two wins and be able to complete the whitewash. Pakistan made two changes, with Hasan Ali and Usman Shinwari making way for Faheem Ashraf and Mohammad Amir. It was no surprise; after all, the duo had conceded 111 runs in their combined eight overs in the second T20I.

South Africa: 1 Reeza Hendricks, 2 Janneman Malan, 3 Rassie van der Dussen, 4 David Miller (capt), 5 Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 6 Andile Phehlukwayo, 7 Chris Morris, 8 Lutho Sipamla, 9 Beuran Hendricks, 10 Junior Dala, 11 Tabraiz Shamsi

Pakistan: 1 Babar Azam, 2 Fakhar Zaman, 3 Hussain Talat, 4 Asif Ali, 5 Shoaib Malik (capt), 6 Imad Wasim, 7 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 8 Faheem Ashraf, 9 Shadab Khan, 10 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 11 Mohammad Amir

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