A disappointment for Peshawar Zalmi fans in the end as their side was overpowered by Islamabad United by 6 wickets in the 12th match of the Pakistan Super League season eight (PSL 8) on Thursday.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz's 31-ball 62 was instrumental for Islamabad as they eased past Peshwaar's 157-run target with 6 wickets and 31 balls to spare. Rassie van der Dussen and Asif Ali also chipped in with 42, and 29 not-out, respectively in the morale-boosting win.
Earlier, Peshawar had a dream start to their innings, scoring 69 runs in the powerplay without losing any wickets. Mohammad Haris (40), who had been hitting the ball cleanly, was the first wicket to fall at 76. He was removed by Shadab Khan. The next wicket of Saim Ayub fell shortly after. He was clean-bowled by Mubasir Khan for 3 runs.
Two consecutive wickets damped Peshawar's scoring rate, which was further dented by Hassan Ali's double-strike, who removed in-form Tom Kohler Kadmore, and Rovman Powell in his second over of the spell.
Peshawar never recovered from the blow and slumped from 81/2 in 8 overs to 156/8 in their 20 overs. The figures could have been worst had Babar Azam (75 off 58) not carried his bat.
Hassan Ali was chosen as the Player of the Match for his brilliant bowling spell of 3/35.
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Points Table Update
Islamabad United, with a second win in three games, reclaim their second spot in the points table, perching just under Multan Sultans who are at the top with 8 points. Lahore Qalandars and Peshawar Zalmi are third and fourth with four points each, while Karachi Kings and Quetta Gladiators are in the fifth and sixth spots with two points each.
Next Fixtures
In an all-important game, struggling Quetta Gladiators will face resurging Islamabad United at 7:00 pm on Friday. The match will be played at the National Bank Cricket Arena, Karachi.
Past PSL Winners
PSL 2016 – Islamabad United
PSL 2017 – Peshawar Zalmi
PSL 2018 – Islamabad United
PSL 2019 – Quetta Gladiators
PSL 2020 – Karachi Kings
PSL 2021 – Multan Sultans
PSL 2022 - Lahore Qalandars