Quetta Gladiators vs Peshawar Zalmi 9th Match of Pakistan Super League (PSL) season eight match in Karachi on Monday, Peshawar Zalmi chose to bowl first against Quetta Gladiators after winning the toss .
In just nine overs, Gladiators, who batted first, lost three wickets for just 37 runs. After the Zalmi bowlers took control of the match early on, their openers got off to a very slow start.
Jason Roy and Martin Guptill, the Gladiators’ openers, started cautiously against Zalmi’s disciplined bowling attack. They were able to score 28 runs in the powerplay before Martin Guptill lost his wicket in an attempt to go big. From 16, Guptil could score 12.
Usman Qadir, a leg spinner, struck twice in consecutive overs.
With a ferocious 74-run partnership for the fourth wicket, captain Sarfaraz Ahmed and Iftikhar broke the shackles and anchored the innings.
Arshad Iqbal castled Sarfaraz in the meantime in the 17th turn to halt the Gladiators’ massive advance. The skipper was able to hit five boundaries and score 39 from 30 deliveries.
Iftikhar continued to score runs for his team despite Sarfaraz’s wicket. He scored his fourth fifty in the PSL using only 34 balls. In contrast, Sarfaraz scored 38 valuable runs, including five boundaries.
Iftikhar didn’t leave the field for 50, which included four maximums and two boundaries. Odean Smith also made a cameo appearance, scoring 25 runs off 12 balls.
With 2/26, Qadir led Zalmi’s bowling attack, while Arshad and James Neesham only managed one scalp.
Mohammad Haris, Saim Ayub, and Tom Kohler-Cadmore, in-form batsmen, took three wickets for 47 runs in the fifth over, giving the Zalmi a poor start to the chase.
Hasnain helped Gladiators get off to a strong start with the bat by picking up three quick wickets in the powerplay after setting Zalmi up to chase 155 runs.
Powell and Neesham took charge of the innings, Gladiators lost the control. Powell received a score of 36, while Zalmi’s Neesham received a score of 37.
The late turn in the run chase was caused by Neesham’s dismissal, but Shanaka and Wahab Riaz remained composed and led the team to their second victory of the season.
Wahab made 10 runs without being struck in 12 bowls, while Shanaka hit an unbeaten 16 runs.
Babar scored 19 runs from 18 deliveries.
Zalmi reached the 155-run target in the 19th over with four wickets remaining thanks to a crucial partnership between Powell and Neesham.