KARACHI – Peshawar Zalmi edged Quetta Gladiators in Monday’s clash with James Neesham and Rovman Powell being the star performers in the ninth match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 8 in Karachi.
Chasing 155, Babar Azam led Peshawar Zalmi achieved the target in the 19th over of the game with four wickets to spare at the back of a much-needed partnership between James Neesham and Powell.
Openers of confident Zalmi failed to make a blasting show as Mohammad Haris, Saim Ayub and Tom Kohler-Cadmore returned before 50 in total. Skipper Babar Azam too returned to pavilion in the eighth over after scoring 19.
.@PeshawarZalmi emerge victorious! This was some competition 👏🏽#SabSitarayHumaray l #QGvPZ l #HBLPSL8 pic.twitter.com/QHIqFOuWgB
— PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) February 20, 2023
Young gun Hasnain got two scalps early in the inning as he gave his side a much-needed start which they wanted after setting star-studded Zalmi to chase a decent total of 155.
Seasoned player Iftikhar Ahmed scored an incredible half-ton for Gladiators who were put into bat first. Sarfaraz-led squad lost three wickets for 37 runs in the first half of the game. Gladiators openers failed to create a blasting show, while Zalmi bowlers remained in command.
Queeta’s star players Jason Roy and Martin Guptill played carefully against a disciplined bowling attack of Peshawar Zalmi as they could score 28 runs in the powerplay. Captain Sarfaraz Ahmed Iftikhar stitched innings with a 74-run partnership for the fourth wicket.
Skipper was then outfoxed by Arshad Iqbal in the 17th over to hamper Gladiators’ bid to score big. The experienced player scored 39 off 30 deliveries.
Talented Usman Qadir got two scalps while James Neesham and Arshad shared a wicket apiece.
Zalmi decided to field first against Quetta Gladiators in the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) match at the National Bank Cricket Arena in Karachi.
The Quetta vs Zalmi is a primordial PSL rivalry going back to the very first season of the competition. Zalmi has a slight edge in the overall matchups with 11 games to 8 courtesy of a six-game win streak against tonight’s opposition.
Squads
Peshawar Zalmi: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Haris, Saim Ayub, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Rovman Powell, Dasun Shanaka, Jimmy Neesham, Wahab Riaz, Usman Qadir, Arshad Iqbal and Sufyan Muqeem.
Quetta Gladiators: Sarfaraz Ahmed (c), Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Hafeez, Odean Smith, Iftikhar Ahmed, Martin Guptill, Wahid Bangulzai, Jason Roy and Qais Ahmed.
More to follow…
