Peshawar Zalmi’s brilliant display with both bat and ball, helped them defeat Quetta Gladiators by 61 runs in the 19th match of the Pakistan Super League’s (PSL) at Abu Dhabi’s Shaikh Zayed Cricket Stadium
The Gladiators trying to stay in the tournament had a momentous 198 runs to chase down. Opener Saim Ayub (35) and Usman Khan (28) gave a solid start, but as soon as they were removed, the Gladiators’ wickets began to tumble in quick succession.
Fabian Allen provided the first breakthrough to Zalmi by dismissing Usman Khan who was caught at the fence by Shoaib Malik, while Mohammad Irfan took the wickets of Ayub, Azam Khan(0), and Cameron Delport (0) in a single over to dent Quetta badly.
Following Irfan, pacer Umaid Asif dismissed Jake Weatherald for 13 and Mohammad Nawaz for a duck. Later, through a direct hit, Asif got Khurram Shahzad run out at 11.
In the 18th over, Zalmi skipper Wahab Riaz got the wickets of Mohammad Hasnain (0) and Zahid Mahmood (0).
Gladiators’ skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed was able to score 36 not out.
Peshawar Zalmi’s innings
Despite a poor start, Peshawar Zalmi was able to set a 198-run target at the loss of five wickets for Quetta Gladiators.
The Gladiators had invited Zalmi to bat first after winning the toss. In the beginning, it seemed that Zalmi would not be able to score much as two key players — Haider Ali (0) and Shoaib Malik (2) — were sent packing within three overs by Mohammad Nawaz.
However, after settling in, Kamran Akmal and David Miller thrashed every bowler and built a partnership of 125 runs that helped their team bounce back.
But the recovery could not last long as Mohammad Hasnain sent Akmal (59) back to the pavilion, while Khurram Shahzad bowled out Miller after a few overs, at 73 runs.
Following their dismissal, Rovman Powell (43) were crucil and scored at a quick rate for Zalmi as he kept the score ticking with some impressive shots.
Nawaz was able to secure two wickets, while Shahzad and Hasnain picked up one each.
The Gladiators are placed at the bottom of the points table and are virtually out of tournament.
