The ninth match of the Pakistan Super League 2022 sees Peshawar Zalmi take on Lahore Qalandars at National Stadium in Karachi on Wednesday.
Lahore Qalandars vs Peshawar Zalmi
Peshawar Zalmi began their campaign with a win, however, they couldn’t continue that winning momentum. They lost their last game by 9 wickets at the hands of Islamabad United.
Batting first, Peshawar Zalmi got off to a disastrous start as they lost four wickets for just 35 runs. However, vital contributions from Shoaib Malik, Sherfane Rutherford, and Ben Cutting helped the team reach a formidable score of 168 runs at the end of the first innings.
Sherfane Rutherford starred with the bat as he scored a blistering 70-run knock off 46 balls, including 7 fours and 3 sixes. Ben Cutting made 26 off 17, while Malik contributed 25 off 22.
However, all those contributions went in vain as Islamabad United chased down the total in just 15.5 overs with 9 wickets in hand. Peshawar Zalmi’s bowling unit had no answer to some sensational power hitting from Alex Hales and Paul Sterling. Heading into their next game on Wednesday, Peshawar Zalmi would look to bowl at the right areas.
Facing them are Lahore Qalandars, who are sitting at number four on the table with a win and a loss each. After losing their first match, they came back strongly to win the next game against Karachi Kings by 6 wickets.
Despite not picking a single wicket for the first ten overs, Lahore Qalandars managed to restrict Karachi Kings to 170 runs in the first innings. In reply, Lahore Qalandars lost wickets at regular intervals but Fakhar Zaman held firm at one end. He singlehandedly took the game out of the hands of Karachi.
Zaman scored a match-winning 106 off 60 deliveries, a knock which was laced with 12 fours and 4 sixes. He, however, got out on the last ball of the 19th over and the equation came down to 6 needed in the final 6 deliveries. Much to the delight of the fans, Samit Patel finished the game with four balls remaining in the end. Ahead of their third game on Wednesday, Lahore Qalandars would look to continue the winning momentum.