Match 9, Karachi, February 20, 2023, 07:30 PM
Quetta Gladiators
154/4(20.0ov)
Peshawar Zalmi
157/6(18.3ov)
Peshawar Zalmi beat Quetta Gladiators by 4 wickets
That's all we have from this match. On Tuesday, 21st February 2023, Quetta Gladiators will be again in action and they will be locking horns with Lahore Qalandars. The match will begin at 7.30 pm IST (2 pm GMT) but you can join us in advance for the build-up. Cheers!
Babar Azam says that the bowlers executed their plans well in the Powerplay. Praises Usman Qadir for providing the breakthroughs that helped them in having their noses in front. Admits that they conceded a lot of runs at the backend. He is happy with the way Peshawar Zalmi batted in the Powerplay and lauds the partnership between James Neesham and Rovman Powell as the pair absorbed the pressure. Feels Mohammad Haris and Saim Ayub are game-changers and he is happy with their progress.
For scoring 38 vital runs off 23 balls and having bowling figures of 4-0-28-1, James Neesham is chosen for the Player of the Match award. The Kiwi all-rounder says that the pitch was tough to bat and they tried to keep the required rate under control. Adds that they tried to be aggressive and took the options they needed to take on that pitch. States that right at the end with 10 needed the worst scenario would have been to get out and give the opponents a glimpse of hope which they avoided really well. Tells that he had good preparation before coming here and playing a lot of cricket all over the world helps them in gaining experience.
Sarfaraz Ahmed, the captain of Quetta Gladiators, says that it feels really good when the players that are with you for long are doing well and growing with the team. Adds that everybody is really happy with the growth of Naseem Shah and Mohammad Hasnain . He adds that there are moments when you lose your calmness a bit and such things happen in this sport. On the absence of Sir Viv Richards, Sarfaraz Ahmed replies that they are missing his advice and mentorship but the team is headed in the right direction and if they correct the little mistakes they did then they would have an outstanding season.
Rovman Powell (36 off 23 balls) comes up for a chat. The West Indian says that the plan was just to be out there with the captain and he was just asking to build a partnership and luckily, it worked well for them. Adds that it is his second season here in the PSL and to be with a franchise that has Sammy as a mentor is a good thing for him. Wants his team to keep improving.
Stay tuned for the interviews...
Quetta Gladiators lost this match mainly due to their batting. There were grey areas in their batting department in the last match also but Martin Guptill's century concealed the loopholes. Once again their top order got exposed and this time around, despite Iftikhar Ahmed and Sarfaraz Ahmed's knocks, they only managed a below-par score. With the ball, only Naseem Shah and Mohammad Hasnain looked threatening but you don't win a game of Twenty20 with just two bowlers. Plenty to improve for the Gladiators going ahead.
A comfortable win in the end for Peshawar Zalmi! This was always on the cards once they restricted Quetta Gladiators to a below-par total. 'Intent' is the word to describe the batting approach of Peshawar Zalmi in the chase. They fought fire with fire and kept on finding the boundaries despite losing wickets at regular intervals. There was a juncture in this chase from where the match could have gone either way but the timely 46-run alliance between James Neesham and Rovman Powell for the fifth wicket helped Peshawar drove the advantage home.
In over# 19
4
4
1
Mohammad Nawaz 48/1(3.3)
18.3
4
FOUR! All over, Peshawar Zalmi win by 4 wickets! Short again from Nawaz, around off, Wahab Riaz camps back and whacks it through cover-point for the winning runs.
18.2
4
FOUR! Just two away now. Flatter and shorter around off, Wahab Riaz goes back and hammers it through covers for a boundary.
18.1
1
Short and around off, Shanaka goes back and punches it to sweeper cover for a run. One big shot away now!
It would be Mohammad Nawaz (3-0-38-1) bowling the 19th over.
In over# 18
1
2
1
1
2
4
1wd
Odean Smith 27/0(2)
17.6
1
Fractionally short and around off, Shanaka steers it through point for a run.
17.5
2
Straighter in line again, Dasun Shanaka works it with gentle hands through square leg and comes back for the second run. 8 needed off 13 balls.
17.4
1
Sliding down the leg side, Wahab clips it to deep square leg for one.
17.3
1
On middle, a length ball, it's worked to deep square leg for a run. 11 needed off 15 balls.
17.2
2
Up and over! Odean Smith angles in a length ball on middle, Shanaka tries to flick but gets a leading edge. The ball loops over point and they get two runs.