Rawalpindi: Islamabad United defeated Peshawar Zalmi by 29 runs in the 20th match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 9.
Played at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Islamabad United successfully defended their target of 197 runs, restricting Peshawar Zalmi to 167 runs for the loss of 9 wickets.
Facing a challenging target akin to a mountain, Peshawar Zalmi’s team encountered difficulties and lost half their side for just 18 runs.
Captain Babar Azam was dismissed for just one run. Saime Ayub and Mohammad Haris contributed one run each, while Tom Kohler-Cadmore was dismissed without opening his account.
At the sixth wicket, Wahab Riaz and Aamer Jamal attempted to salvage the situation, adding 107 runs to their team’s total. Aamer Jamal played an exceptional innings of 87 runs, including 6 sixes and 8 boundaries, while Wahab Riaz contributed 33 runs.
From Islamabad United’s side, captain Shadab Khan took charge with the ball, dismissing three players. Roman Raees claimed two wickets, while Haneen Shah also took one wicket.
Prior to this, Peshawar Zalmi won the toss and invited Islamabad United to bat first.
Islamabad United faced early setbacks, losing Alex Hales in the very first over, bowled by Saime Ayub.
In the third over, with the score at 28 for 15 runs, Colin Munro also fell victim to Saime. By the end of the sixth over, Colin Munro was also dismissed, with Saime being the destroyer.
However, captain Shadab Khan led the charge for Islamabad United with a brilliant innings of 80 runs off 51 deliveries, guiding the team to a significant total.
Partnering with Salman Ali Agha, who scored 37 runs initially, Shadab Khan formed a partnership of 65 runs, while after Salman’s dismissal, Shadab Khan forged another partnership of 68 runs with Jordan Cox.
Following the dismissal of Islamabad United’s captain, Azam Khan and Jordan Cox added 39 runs. Cox remained not out with 30 runs, while Azam Khan contributed 29 runs before being dismissed.
Read more: PCB announces to refund tickets of cancelled PSL matches
From Peshawar Zalmi’s side, Saime Ayub dismissed two players, while Leuk Wood and Salman Arshad took one wicket each.
No changes were made to Islamabad United’s lineup, while Peshawar Zalmi made changes, bringing in Mohammad Zeshan, Aamer Jamal, and Tom Kohler-Cadmore in place of Naveen ul Haq, Asif Ali, and Hassibullah.
In the previous match, Peshawar Zalmi defeated Islamabad United by 8 runs.