Sports Report
RAWALPINDI: Peshawar Zalmi beat Karachi Kings by 24 runs in their clash in Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2023 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Team on Wednesday.
Despite losing Adam Rossington on 15 runs in eight balls, the Karachi Kings scored 55 runs in the first powerplay.
However, Azmatullah Omarzai provided a crucial breakthrough in the 7th over of the match after Tayyab Tahir (6), was caught behind the stumps.
With Karachi looking to control the worsening situation, 2 wickets fell in quick succession to give Peshawar Zalmi an edge over Karachi. Irfan Khan (4) and Shoaib Malik (1) went back to the pavilion without a significant contribution.
Opener Matthew Wade, who was playing aggressively, was cleaned up by Mujeeb Ur Rahman after scoring 53 runs in 41 balls.
After Wade’s departure, the Kings literally began collapsing.
Captain Imad Wasim scored unbeaten 57 runs in 30 deliveries but was unable to get his team over the line.
Aamer Jamal and Omarzai claimed 3 wickets each; meanwhile, Mujeeb bagged two scalps.
Earlier, Peshawar Zalmi set Karachi Kings a massive target of 198 runs.
After being invited to bat first, Zalmi scored 197-5 in their allotted 20 overs despite being on the ropes in the early part of the innings.
Pacer Mohammad Amir gave Karachi Kings a perfect start against Peshawar Zalmi after he sent Babar Azam and Mohammad Haris back to the pavilion in the first over of the innings. Both batters were dismissed for a duck.
Amir claimed his third wicket of the match after Saim Ayub was caught at deep square leg on 1 run.
However, youngster Haseebullah Khan, who is playing his first match, scored an impressive half century to get his team back on track. The left-hander posted 50 runs in 29 balls, which included four boundaries and three sixes, before being dismissed by Tabraiz Shamsi.
Karachi’s hopes of restricting Peshawar to a low total were thwarted by Rovman Powell. His explosive 34-ball 64 included six fours and four maximums.
Peshawar Zalmi
Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Haris (wk), Saim Ayub, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Haseebullah Khan, Rovman Powell, Aamer Jamal, Wahab Riaz, Azmatullah Omarzai, Arshad Iqbal, Mujeeb Ur Rahman
Karachi Kings
Matthew Wade, Adam Rossington (wk), Tayyab Tahir, Shoaib Malik, Irfan Khan, Imad Wasim (c), Ben Cutting, Aamer Yamin, Mohammad Amir, Tabraiz Shamsi, Akif Javed
