Karachi Kings could only manage to score 164 after the end of its innings and lost the match by 9 runs while Karachi Kings sustained the PSL table with four consecutive losses.
Karachi Kings had won the toss and elected to field first. Peshawar Zalmi started the innings very well. Their opener Zazai was on fire and continuously hitting the boundaries. Zalmi openers were set up in an aggressive batting style and made a 53 runs partnership.
On the last ball of the first power play, Zalmi lost its first wicket and Umaid Asif provide a great breakthrough for the Kings.
Once more, kings pulled the game back in the middle overs, with Haider Ali and Kamran Akmal struggling for fluency, but an unbeaten 28 ball 52 from Shoaib Malik propelled Zalmi forward. Asif’s three-wicket kept one end quiet, but malik and a little spurt at the death from Sherfane Rutherford, saw 47 come off the last four overs.
Peshawar Zalmi had set a total of 173 after the end of 20 overs.
Karachi Kings openers look rusty against spinners and lost so much ground early that they couldn’t make much of a mark against pacers either. Kings wanted someone who provide them with an amazing inning.
Then, Babar and Cockbain took responsibility and try to overcome the situation. But the home side was never quite able to rein the asking rate in, and Babar was struggling to find the dazzling array of strokes he usually unleashes at the death.
It came down to Aamer Yamin to reduce the chasm between balls and runs, and a couple of clobbered sixes off Usman Qadir helped somewhat.
But a tight17th over from Salman Irshad was followed up by a destructive run from Umar, who removed Yamin and Imad Wasim in three balls to turn the game decisively in Zalmi’s favor.
With the game effectively over as a contest, Babar finally found his range, finishing the game with three successive fours.
That return of personal form, however, is unlikely to provide much succor to the Pakistan skipper who leads the franchise that propped up the PSL table with four consecutive defeats.
“Teams putting runs on the board are faring better here in recent days since batting 2nd isn’t as straightforward. Everyone is chipping in and adjusting to the conditions really well. Umar and Irshad were wonderful tonight, hats off to them, that’s the kind of performances we need as a team from them and it will boost everyone’s confidence,”
the winning skipper, Wahab Riaz.
“You have to play your shots in this format, SR has to be 140-plus, and openers gave us a good start too. I assessed the conditions as soon as possible and kept backing my strokeplay. We have played on this strip before and we realized bowling those slower deliveries was the way to go,”
Shoaib Malik, player of the match.
Peshawar Zalmi 173 for 4 (Malik 52*, Zazai 41, Asif 3-36) beat Karachi Kings 164 for 6 (Babar 90*, Cockbain 31, Umar 3-22) by nine runs.