Match 29, Rawalpindi, March 12, 2023, 02:30 PM
Peshawar Zalmi
179/8(20.0ov)
Islamabad United
166/10(19.4ov)
Peshawar Zalmi beat Islamabad United by 13 runs
Right then, both teams had already qualified for the playoffs and Islamabad United missed their opportunity to go up to the second spot. It means the two teams will face off once again in the Eliminator to keep their tournament hopes alive. The last match of the group stages will be played between Lahore Qalandars and Karachi Kings and the toss is just moments away. That game will begin at 7.30 pm IST (2 pm GMT). Cheers!
Mohammad Haris is chosen for the Player of the Match award. His 39-ball 79 helped Peshawar Zalmi to get off to a rollicking start and proved to be the deciding factor in this game.
Islamabad United's run chase did not get off to an auspicious start as they lost Hassan Nawaz in the very first over. Alex Hales, Sohaib Maqsood, and Colin Munro, all got off to starts but were dismissed on similar scores of 15. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Shadab Khan provided a bit of a fight with consolidating cameos but their wickets left them well behind in the game. Faheem Ashraf played an attacking knock of 38 in 13 balls to keep the game alive till the last over but in the end, they fell quite short of the target. Khurram Shahzad and Sufiyan Muqeem claimed three wickets each with James Neesham and Aamer Jamal chipping in with two a piece.
Peshawar Zalmi did not have the best of starts losing the in-form Saim Ayub in the very first over but a 115-run partnership between Mohammad Haris and Bhanuka Rajapaksa propelled them to an outstanding start. However, once the partnership was broken they began losing wickets at regular intervals and managed to put up an under-par score of 179 despite the start they got. Mohammad Haris scored 79 in just 39 deliveries and Bhanuka Rajapaksha contributed 41 runs. All five bowlers for Islamabad United took one wicket at the least with Hasan Ali taking three crucial wickets.
Quite an anti-climax with consecutive wickets falling! What a good bowling display this has been by Peshawar Zalmi as they hold their nerves and win by a margin of 13 runs! This edition of the PSL has provided us with some high-scoring affairs so to have a game where a team has not only scored less than 200 but also managed to defend it, is an abnormality! This tournament has been a nightmare for the bowlers and it is exciting to see them rule the roost in this game as 18 wickets were claimed in this match.
In over# 20
0W
0W
6
1
Khurram Shahzad 13/3(1.4)
19.4
W
OUT! BOWLED! That has gone through the batsman’s defense.
19.3
W
OUT! BOWLED! That has gone through the batsman’s defense.
19.2
6
Six! Up, up and away! The batter has lofted this clean as a whistle and it has cleared the boundary.
19.1
1
1 run, the on drive comes out now. The batter gets a run.
In over# 19
1lb
1
6
1b
4
1
Salman Irshad 38/0(4)
18.6
1lb
Leg bye, that is a cracking pull off the back foot, but for no run.
18.5
1
1 run, the pull shot comes into play. One run taken.
18.4
6
Six! That is a lovely shot. The batter has just lofted this with fine timing and cleared the ropes too.
18.3
1b
Bye. Swing and a miss! The batter swings hard at that one but does not connect.
18.2
4
Four! That is pulled through the on side. The ball races to the fence in no time.
18.1
1
1 run, down the leg side, nicely paddled away for a single.
In over# 18
1
1lb
1
6
4
6
Aamer Jamal 28/2(3)
17.6
1
1 run, the batter comes forward and plays an off drive for a run.
17.5
1lb
Leg bye, the batter goes back in his crease to flick but cannot find the gap.