Lahore Qalandars beat Peshawar Zalmi by four wickets

Featuring in their game, Mohammad Hafeez scored unbeaten 33 as Lahore Qalandars chased down the target of 141 set by Peshawar Zalmi second match of sixth edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL) at National Cricket Stadium in Karachi on Sunday.

 

The Qalandars started off strong after Fakhar Zaman and Sohail Akhtar opened their innings, before Akhtar (14 off 14) was caught by Shoaib Malik off Mujeeb Ur Rahman in the fifth over.

 

While batting first, Zalmi have made 140 runs on the loss of six wickets. Ravi Bopara was top scorer with 50 runs. From Qalandars side, Shaheen Shah Afridi grabbed three wickets on 14 runs.

 

Imamul Haq and Kamran Akmal opened the innings for Zalmi. Imam was sent to the pavilion right after, getting caught out by Ben Dunk off Shaheen Shah Afridi s first ball of the match.

 

Imam was replaced by Shoaib Malik. The Peshawar franchise lost their second wicket when Kamran tried to flick a boundary, only for it to land straight in the hands of the perfectly positioned fielder.

 

Lahore Qalandars won the toss and elected to field against Peshawar Zalmi.

 

Lahore Qalandars XI: Sohail Akhtar (capt), Fakhar Zaman, Salman Agha, Mohammad Hafeez, Ben Dunk, Samit Patel, David Wiese, Rashid Khan, Ahmed Daniyal, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Salman Mirza.

 

Peshawar Zalmi XI: Kamran Akmal (wk), Imam Ul Haq, Haider Ali, Shoaib Malik, Ravi Bopara, Sherfane Rutherford, Amad Butt, Wahab Riaz (capt), Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Saqib Mehmood, Mohammad Imran.

 

Earlier, in the opening match of the PSL sixth edition, Karachi Kings sailed to an easy victory against Quetta Gladiators, reaching the 122-run target in just 13.5 overs.

 

Opener Joe Clarke got the defending Champions off to a flier with 46 off just 23 deliveries and Mohammad Nabi took the team home with a blistering 30 off 14. Mohammad Hasnain was the pick of the bowlers with two wickets in his four overs.

                                    

In the first inning, Quetta Gladiators lost early wickets at the beginning and failed to pull things back. They could only manage 121 runs in 18.2 overs before being bowled out. Chris Gayle showed some fight with 39(24) but the Karachi attack led by young pacer Arshad Iqbal kept the runs in check. He was also awarded Man of the Match for his exceptional bowling performance.

 

Defending PSL Champions Karachi Kings won the toss and chose to field against Quetta Gladiators in the opening fixture of Pakistan Super League’s sixth edition.