KARACHI: A terrific performance by both spinners and pacers from Multan Sultans restricted Peshawar Zalmi to 146 runs in the crucial qualifier contest of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 9th edition at National Stadium Karachi on Thursday.
Earlier, winning the toss, Peshawar Zalmi decided to bat first. Both openers of Zalmi took a cautious start; however, David Willey managed to get rid of the informed Saim Ayub, who scored just 1 run. He was replaced by Mohammad Haris, who along with Babar Azam pushed the scoreboard ahead.
Haris seemed in good touch but, as usual, he also departed early and scored 22 runs on 14 balls. The next was Haseebullah Khan, who was removed by PSL’s best bowler, Usama Mir, with just 3 runs.
At this stage, Zalmi were 57 for 3 in 8 overs with Babar Azam on the crease with 28 runs. He pushed the score ahead along with Tom Kohler-Cadmore. Both took the side past the 100-run mark. Babar showed his class once again with some brilliant drives. However, it was Chris Jordan who managed to break the partnership and remove Babar Azam on 46.
At this stage, Zalmi were 101 for 4 in 13.4 overs with Tom Kohler-Cadmore on 21 on the crease. Babar was replaced by Rovman Powell. However, the bowlers of Sultans didn’t stop there and were taking wickets consistently. In the 16th over, Usama Mir took his second wicket to remove Kohler-Cadmore on 24.
The continuous dismissals put Peshawar Zalmi under pressure. Later, Walter and Powell added some crucial runs to the total. Zalmi scored 146 for the loss of 7 wickets in 20 overs.
From Multan Sultans, Usama Mir bagged two wickets while conceding just 16 runs in his 4 overs. Chris Jordan took two, while David Willey and Mohammad Ali got one wicket each.
The winner of today’s match would qualify directly for the final, while the runner-up would have one more chance and would play the 2nd eliminator against the winner of Quetta Gladiators and Islamabad United.
Teams
Multan Sultans: Mohammad Rizwan (c & wk), Yasir Khan, Usman Khan, Johnson Charles, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Chris Jordan, David Willey, Usama Mir, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Ali
Peshawar Zalmi: Saim Ayub, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Haris (wk), Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Haseebullah Khan, Rovman Powell, Paul Walter, Aamier Jamal, Luke Wood, Mehran Mumtaz, Salman Irshad
