Peshawar beat Islamabad: In the first elimination round of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season eight, Peshawar Zalmi’s pacers Aamer Jamal and Salman Irshad roared back to limit Islamabad United to 171/6 in the run chase and propel their team to a thrilling 12-run victory.
Zalmi faced Lahore Qalandars in the second eliminator on Friday after a stunning triumph in the first.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (10) of the United had an unfavourable start to the run chase as the team lost him cheaply for just 13 runs in the second over.
After a quick setback, Sohaib Maqsood and Alex Hales teamed up to lead the run chase with an incredible 115-run partnership for the second wicket, with both players reaching half century.
Up until the first 14 overs, everything was going United’s way. But, on the first delivery of the 15th over, Aamer castled Maqsood, giving Zalmi the much-needed breakthrough.
The seasoned right-handed batsman led the United in scoring with 60 runs off 48 deliveries thanks to seven boundaries and two sixes.
Salman then dismissed Azam Khan (2) in the following over, bolstering Zalmi’s effort to get back into the game.
As the United dropped to 137/4 in the 17th over, Aamer struck once more in the following over to take the important wicket of Hales and put them on the back foot.
The United then continued to lose wickets at a startling rate, which also stopped the two-time champions from scoring as Zalmi managed to edge them by 12 runs despite Shadab Khan’s unbeaten 26 off 12.
With two wickets each, Aamer and Salman were Zalmi’s top two bowlers, with Azmatullah Omarzai taking one.
In a crucial match against United, Zalmi had the opportunity to bat first and they made a great start, thanks to an outstanding opening partnership between Babar and Saim Ayub.
The pair immediately began to charge the United bowlers, putting them under tremendous pressure.
United was losing ground against the baton attack spearheaded by Babar with Saim’s assistance. Mohammad Wasim Jr. bowled Saim in the fifth over of the innings, which helped his team secure their first victory. Saim had hit 23 off of 16 with the help of five boundaries.
Babar and Haseebullah Khan bravely maintained their team’s momentum with a 36-run stand. Haseebullah Khan had been promoted to bat ahead of wicketkeeper Mohammad Haris.
The promising combination was ended by Shadab Khan when he had young Haseebullah stumped in the ninth over, after the pair had scored 36 runs in just 24 balls. On an 11-ball, he made a 15.
After that, Babar and Haris formed yet another crucial connection for their team, putting on a 41-run stand and making sure to score quickly before Shadab caught him in front to start United’s comeback.
For Zalmi, Babar scored the most runs with 64 off just 39 deliveries and 10 boundaries.
After Babar’s dismissal in the 13th over, Zalmi reached 137/3, but they lost five wickets and could only add 46 runs in the final seven overs. Haris was also unable to contribute to the collapse.
The wicketkeeper batsman hit three boundaries and two sixes in his 17-ball 34.
Wasim Jr., Hasan Ali, Faheem Ashraf, and Fazalhaq Farooqi all struck out a batter apiece, while Shadab, who had a bowling average of 2/40, led the United’s bowling assault.
