Lahore Qalandars secured a play-off berth of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 10, defeating Peshawar Zalmi by 26 runs in a rain-affected encounter at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, thanks to a sensational fifty by Fakhar Zaman and four-for from Salman Mirza.
In pursuit of 150 runs in 13 overs, the Babar Azam-led side never looked in the hunt as they kept losing wickets regularly. Saim Ayub (8) was the first batter to depart after inadvertently hitting his stumps with his back foot off Salman Mirza’s bowling.
Muhammad Haris and Max Bryant were dismissed in consecutive deliveries by Salman Mirza, leaving Peshawar Zalmi 35-3 in four overs. Captain Babar Azam also failed to impress as he was caught by Abdullah Shafique off Sikandar Raza, further denting the Zalmi’s hopes to remain alive in the tournament.
Fakhar Zaman’s sensational half-century propelled Lahore Qalandars to a formidable total. After the match was reduced to 13 overs, Lahore Qalandars posted 149 for the loss of eight wickets in a with revised playing conditions in a virtual qualifier.
Quetta Gladiators beat Multan Sultans by two wickets
Quetta Gladiators beat Multan Sultans by two wickets in the 28th match of Pakistan Super League (PSL X) at Rawalpindi cricket Stadium on Sunday.
Multan Sultans had set a target of 186 runs for Quetta Gladiators to chase Batting first, Multan Sultans scored 185 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in the allotted 20 overs.
Multan Sultans’ captain Mohammad Rizwan was dismissed after scoring just 4 runs. Opener Yasir Khan stood out with 45 runs, while Jahanzeb Sultan contributed 25 runs.
Tayyab Tahir scored 36, Shahid Aziz made 29, Humayun Altaf 16, and Peter Hatzoglou was out for 1 run.
While chasing the target, Quetta Gladiators’ Hassan Nawaz remained unbeaten with 67 runs, and Khawaja Nafi was another key performer with 51 runs.
Shahid Aziz of the Sultans was notable with the ball, taking three wickets.