LAHORE: Lahore Qalandars defeated Peshawar Zalmi by six wickets at Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday, ending the table-toppers’ unbeaten run in the ongoing Pakistan Super League and keeping their own playoff chances intact.
The Shaheen Shah Afridi-led side chased down a target of 200 with three balls remaining, reaching 200-4 in 19.3 overs. The result was Qalandars’ fifth win in 10 matches and lifted them to fourth place in the eight-team standings with 10 points.
According to the points table carried with the match report, Peshawar Zalmi remained on top with 17 points from 10 matches, having won eight, lost one, and had one no-result. Lahore now awaits the outcome of Sunday’s match between Hyderabad Kingsmen and Rawalpindi in Karachi. Hyderabad Kingsmen have four wins and eight points from nine games and, to qualify, need a victory by a big margin to move ahead on net run-rate; otherwise, Qalandars will progress.
Fakhar anchors the chase as the middle order contributes
Lahore’s chase revolved around Fakhar Zaman, who played a measured, unbeaten innings of 58 off 47 balls and was later named player of the match. While Fakhar stayed at the crease throughout, Abdullah Shafique, Charith Asalanka, Sikandar Raza, and Daniel Sams all made important contributions.
Qalandars lost Mohammad Naeem for 10 in the third over when Khurram Shahzad struck with the score on 21. Lahore still moved to 64-1 in the powerplay, with Fakhar increasing his tempo gradually and Abdullah making 25 off 11 balls, including four fours and a six.
Abdullah fell just after the power play when Iftikhar Ahmed had him caught by Sufiyan Muqeem at deep mid-wicket. Fakhar then added 53 runs with Asalanka, who scored 33 off 26, taking Lahore beyond 100 in the 11th over. Asalanka was dismissed in the 13th over when Ali Raza’s slower ball induced a catch to Michael Bracewell in the covers.
Sikandar Raza then accelerated the innings with 29 off 11 balls, hitting three sixes and two fours, and helped Qalandars reach 150 in the 16th over. He was dismissed in the same over, hit wicket off Sufiyan while trying to play over fine leg, with the score at 160-4.
Daniel Sams then finished the chase alongside Fakhar, remaining unbeaten on 35 off 15 balls with five fours and a six. A couple off Mohammad Basit in the final over sealed the win. For Zalmi, Khurram, Iftikhar, Ali, and Sufiyan took one wicket each.
Bracewell and Babar lift Zalmi to 199
Earlier, after being put in to bat, Peshawar Zalmi posted 199-4 in 20 overs, driven by Michael Bracewell’s 83 off 45 balls and Babar Azam’s 59 off 45.
Zalmi were reduced to 36-2 inside the powerplay after Shaheen removed both openers. James Vince made 10 before being bowled by an inswinging yorker in the third over, while Kusal Mendis scored seven and was caught by Haris Rauf at mid-on in the fifth over after mistiming a pull against a slower ball.
After reaching 43-2 in the powerplay, Zalmi rebuilt through Bracewell and Babar, moving to 78 at the halfway stage and then to 100-2 in 13.1 overs. Babar brought up his third half-century of the tournament off 40 balls. The report noted that he has also scored a century in this edition, against Quetta Gladiators in Karachi.
Bracewell reached his fifty off 30 balls, though he had been dropped on 16 in the eighth over when Naeem put down a catch at deep cover. He and Babar added 94 runs off 64 balls before Haris Rauf dismissed Babar in the 16th over. Babar’s innings included five fours and a six.
Bracewell, who struck eight fours and six sixes, then added 64 runs off 27 balls with Iftikhar Ahmed, who remained unbeaten on 27 off 14 balls with five fours. Zalmi advanced to 194-3 before Haris bowled Bracewell in the final over with a reverse-swinging yorker. Abdul Samad was unbeaten on four.
Shaheen finished with 2-36, while Haris returned figures of 2-46.
