KARACHI: A brilliant bat from Saim Ayub and power hitting from Mohammad Haris saw Peshawar Zalmi setting Islamabad United a formidable target of 186 in the Eliminator 2 of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 9 here on Saturday. Saim Ayub smashed a 73-run knock while Mohammad Haris’ 40 powered Peshawar Zalmi to 185/5 against Islamabad United.
Zalmi were put into bat first and got off to a solid start. In-form opening pair of Babar Azam and Saim once again laid the foundation for a formidable total.
Saim took charge in the opening stand while Babar played a cautious innings until he fell to Naseem Shah after scoring 72 runs.
Babar attempted a forceful shot at a length delivery by Naseem but couldn’t connect well, leading to a sensational catch by Shadab Khan. He managed to score 25 runs off 22 deliveries with two boundaries and a six.
Saim continued his aggressive approach and was joined by Haris in the middle, with the duo adding 59 runs together before Saim got out in the 15th over.
Saim Ayub top-scored for Peshawar Zalmi with a brilliant 73 off 44 balls, including six boundaries and four sixes. Haris followed suit but was dismissed softly by Naseem after contributing 40 runs off 25 balls with three boundaries and two sixes.
Later in the innings, Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Aamer Jamal played brisk innings to push Zalmi’s total beyond 180 runs.
Naseem Shah was the standout bowler for Islamabad United, picking up 3 wickets for 30 runs in his four overs, while Shadab Khan and Obed McCoy chipped in with one wicket each.
The winner of Eliminator 2 will face the 2021 champions Multan Sultans in the PSL 9 final, set to take place on Monday at the same venue.
Peshawar Zalmi Playing XI
Babar Azam (c), Saim Ayub, Mohammad Haris (wk), Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Hussain Talat, Rovman Powell, Aamir Jamal, Luke Wood, Mehran Mumtaz, Arif Yaqoob, Khurram Shahzad
Islamabad United Playing XI
Alex Hales, Martin Guptill, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan (c), Azam Khan (wk), Haider Ali, Imad Wasim, Faheem Ashraf, Naseem Shah, Hunain Shah, Obed McCoy
