In a significant victory, Peshawar Zalmi secured a spot in the playoffs of the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) season nine by defeating Quetta Gladiators with a massive 76-run margin at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
Despite the heavy defeat, Quetta Gladiators still have a chance to qualify for the PSL 9 playoffs by winning one of their remaining matches against Lahore Qalandars and Multan Sultans.
During the chase of 197 runs set by Peshawar, Gladiators’ opener Saud Shakeel showed promise with a quick 24 off 12 balls but lost his wicket to Mehran Mumtaz. Following Saud’s dismissal, Gladiators faced difficulties, losing three wickets in four overs. Rilee Rossouw, Khawaja Nafay, and Omair Yousuf couldn’t contribute much as Gladiators were all out for 120 runs in 17.5 overs.
In bowling, Saim Ayub, Luke Wood, Khurram Shahzad, and Mehran Mumtaz shone, taking two wickets each, while Naveen-ul-Haq and Aamer Jamal took one each.
Batting first, Peshawar Zalmi made a strong start with Saim Ayub scoring 30 runs off 12 balls before being dismissed. Captain Babar Azam continued the momentum with an aggressive innings, scoring 53 runs off 30 balls before falling to Akeal Hosein. Despite Hosein’s impressive bowling performance, Rovman Powell’s late contribution helped Zalmi reach a competitive total.
Hosein took four wickets, supported by Abrar Ahmed, Sohail Khan, and Mohammad Hasnain, who each took one wicket.
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