Islamabad United Restrained to 143-9 by Disciplined Zalmi Bowling

LAHORE: In the 22nd match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 10, Peshawar Zalmi showcased a composed bowling performance, restricting Islamabad United to a score of 143-9 in their 20 overs. The match took place at Gaddafi Stadium on Friday.

Islamabad United chose to bat first and established a promising beginning, with openers Sahibzada Farhan and Kyle Mayers injecting early energy into the innings.

The pair constructed a notable 50-run partnership, adopting an assertive strategy against Zalmi’s bowling attack.

However, Zalmi achieved a breakthrough post-powerplay as pacer Ahmed Daniyal dismissed Farhan for 36 runs from 35 balls, positioning United at 58-1 in 8.4 overs.

In the subsequent over, Mohammad Ali made an impact by removing Mayers for 18 runs off 18 deliveries, which reduced Islamabad’s score to 62-2 in 9.1 overs.

Zalmi sustained their momentum, with spinner Saim Ayub taking the wicket of Agha Salman, who only managed four runs from seven balls in the 11th over.

Captain Shadab Khan then attempted a counter-offensive, striking consecutive boundaries along with Colin Munro, contributing 22 runs for the fourth wicket.

However, both batsmen were soon dismissed. Shadab scored 15 runs from 8 balls before his dismissal, and Munro followed with 11, leaving United at 89-4 in 12.5 overs.

Mohammad Ali continued his strong bowling, dismissing Saad Masood for a single run, completing a three-wicket haul and bringing United’s score down to 91-6 in 14 overs.

The slump persisted as Luke Wood dismissed Azam Khan for eight runs off seven balls, leaving the team struggling at 107-7 in 16.1 overs.

Imad Wasim and Ben Dwarshuis made an attempt to stabilize the innings with some crucial late runs, but their efforts were short-lived.

A superb direct hit from Babar Azam resulted in Imad being run out for 10, pulling Islamabad down to 124-8 in the 18th over.

Zalmi’s controlled bowling and agile fielding ensured Islamabad was unable to rally, ultimately limiting them to a subpar 134-9.

Dwarshuis remained not out with a significant 33 runs off 17 deliveries, while Naseem Shah added only one run before being dismissed on the final ball.

For Zalmi, Mohammad Ali stood out as the most successful bowler with statistics of 3-26. Luke Wood, Alzarri Joseph, Ahmed Daniyal, Saim Ayub, and Hussain Talat each took one wicket.