Zalmi’s Maaz Sadaqat Shines with Half-Century

LAHORE: In a Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 10 match held on Friday at Gaddafi Stadium, Peshawar Zalmi defeated the defending champions, Islamabad United, by six wickets, marking their second loss this season.

Zalmi pursued a target of 144 runs, with Mitchell Owen initiating aggressively by hitting a six off Kyle Mayers’ initial ball.

Mayers responded quickly, dismissing Owen on the subsequent delivery, leading to Babar Azam joining Saim Ayub at the crease.

Ben Dwarshuis further intensified the pressure by taking Ayub’s wicket for a mere one run in the next over, reducing Zalmi’s score to 12-2 in just 1.2 overs.

Babar Azam and Mohammad Haris then stabilized the innings, building a 26-run partnership for the third wicket before Riley Meredith dismissed Haris, who had scored 13 runs from 12 balls.

Maaz, in his debut PSL appearance, left a mark with a remarkable half-century, boosting the chase alongside his captain. Babar Azam also contributed with a measured innings, achieving his 35th PSL half-century while leading the chase.

With only four runs needed, Naseem Shah disrupted the 100-run partnership by dismissing Maaz for an impressive 55 runs off 33 balls.

Zalmi successfully concluded the chase in the 17th over, with Babar remaining not out at 53 from 49 balls and Max Bryant securing the winning runs.

– Updated PSL 10 Points Table –

Despite the defeat, Islamabad United still holds the top spot with 10 points from seven matches, including five victories and a strong net run rate (NRR) of 0.774.

Lahore Qalandars are in second place, having played one more match, with nine points from eight games, four wins, and the tournament’s best NRR at 1.110.

Quetta Gladiators also have nine points from seven matches, ranking third due to a slightly lower NRR of 1.034.

Karachi Kings are positioned fourth with eight points from seven matches and an NRR of 0.445, despite matching Quetta and Lahore in win count.

Peshawar Zalmi has risen to fifth place with six points from seven matches, although their NRR of -0.507 is still a cause for concern.

Multan Sultans have been officially eliminated from the competition, with only one win in eight matches.