Quetta Gladiators hanging by a thin thread while Karachi Kings have been eliminated from the PSL

In order to defeat Lahore Qalandars by 50 runs, Peshawar Zalmi put up their best season effort. Saim Ayub’s outstanding performance helped Zalmi collect 207 before four early wickets prevented Qalandar from attempting to chase it down by putting an end to their attempts. His 36-ball 68 gave Zalmi an early lead they never lost. 

After being reduced to 21 for 4, Hussain Talat and Shaheen Shah Afridi added fifty runs to the total, bringing it back to respectable levels, but too much ground had been lost for any realistic chances of victory. In addition, Quetta Gladiators are now hanging by a thin thread as the outcome removed Karachi Kings from the PSL.

For the first time, Saim Ayub batted first for Zalmi, and he quickly made an impression. In the next over, Shaheen was destroyed for three boundaries after he hit Haris Rauf for a six and a four off his first two deliveries. 

Sikandar Raza was destroyed in the fifth over by 21 runs as a solid Power Play turned into a superb one. Ayub scored 16 runs off Rashid Khan’s bowling in six deliveries against him after the fielding limitations were lifted, and the Afghan’s incredible effort was stopped by a miscue from the Afghan.

After the Powerplay, Babar Azam may have slowed down a bit too much, but he had been gradually building up at the other end, and the team’s score was still looking good. With his usual effortless grace, he had excellent timing and placement with his strokes. 

But it did come at the slight loss of run rate; his 41-ball 50 meant a strike rate of 121.95; nobody else in the top seven had a strike rate lower than 150.

As Ayub and Mohammad Haris fell, it was Tom Kohler-Cadmore who kept Zalmi’s momentum going by hitting two sixes off his first two in a charmingly carefree cameo. 

He would finish with 36 off 16 and help Zalmi reach a total of more than 220, but Shaheen and Rauf came back strongly and took six wickets between them in the last overs. 

Zalmi’s last eight wickets fell in 24 balls for 39 runs, leading to an improbable bowling total of 207. This gave Qalandars a chance to win against a possibly questionable bowling assault.

As Ayub and Mohammad Haris fell, it was Tom Kohler-Cadmore who kept the momentum going for Zalmi by hitting two sixes off his first two in a brilliantly humorous appearance. 

He would finish with 36 off 16 to help Zalmi reach a total of more than 220, but Shaheen and Rauf fought back valiantly in the final minutes, taking six wickets between them. 

Zalmi’s last eight wickets fell in a span of 24 balls for 39 runs, and they were eventually bowled out for an absurd total of 207, giving Qalandars a chance to win against a possibly doubtful bowling lineup.

Even so, their starting lineup once again performed poorly. The first run off the bat didn’t come until the ninth delivery, and by that point, debutant opener Shawaiz Irfan had been out for good by Arshad Iqbal. 

Iqbal was effective in his first two overs, which gave just three runs, while Wahab Riaz’s double-strike in the fifth over resulted in the dismissal of Sam Billings and Fakhar Zaman in a crucial phase of the game. After the first six overs, Qalandars had lost all but one of their middle order due to Abdullah Shafique being dismissed by Azmatullah Omarzai with a short ball.

Shaheen once more moved up to No. 6 in a match that had less significance for Qalandars than it did for Zalmi. That seemed like a strange move after he had scored just one run in nine balls, but it was only the beginning of an entertaining, though unexpected, collaboration. 

Shaheen and Talat responded when Zalmi’s effort in the middle overs decreased, putting up a 114-run partnership with both batsmen hitting half-centuries. 

Although a Zalmi victory never appeared to be in danger, these frustrating runs to give up were nevertheless significant given the possible importance of net run rate. The partnership was eventually broken by Wahab, who finished with scores of 4-1-17-3 and an impressive 18 dot balls.

Raza’s fiery appearance briefly gave Qalandars hope, but Zalmi could finally relax after Omarzai took care of him for 20 off 7 balls. In the final 11 balls, the last five wickets went quickly, giving Zalmi a comfortable victory. With this victory, they moved one step closer to maintaining their record of never missing the playoffs in PSL history.