Kusal Mendis’ explosive century and a commanding bowling display propelled Peshawar Zalmi to a record 159-run victory over Karachi Kings in the 17th match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 at Karachi’s National Bank Stadium on Thursday.
Set to chase a daunting 247-run target, the 2020 champions could muster 87 runs before getting bowled out in 16.1 overs and thus succumbed to their first defeat in the ongoing eight-team tournament. Wicketkeeper batter Azam Khan remained the top-scorer for the Kings with a cautious 25 off 27 deliveries with the help of three fours and a six, while fellow middle-order batters Saad Baig (14) and Khushdil Shah (10) were the others to amass double figures.
Nahid Rana, Sufiyan Muqeem and Iftikhar Ahmed jointly led the Zalmi’s bowling charge with three wickets each, while Shoriful Islam chipped in with one.
Kings captain David Warner’s decision to field first backfired as the 2017 champions accumulated a mammoth 246/3 in their 20 overs, courtesy of a monumental 191-run partnership for the second wicket between Mendis and Babar.
Zalmi, however, had a contrasting start to their innings as they lost opening batter Mohammad Haris (zero) on the second delivery of the first over, bowled by Khushdil Shah.
Following the early setback, Mendis joined Babar in the middle, and the duo turned the game on its head with a dominant partnership, which yielded 191 runs off just 97 deliveries. Abbas Afridi eventually broke the marathon partnership in the 17th over by dismissing Mendis, who walked back after top-scoring with a blazing 109 off 52 deliveries, studded with 14 fours and four sixes.
Afridi inflicted another blow to the Zalmi’s batting expedition by getting rid of Michael Bracewell on the final delivery and brought the total down to 197/3 in 17 overs.
Babar, on the other hand, carried his bat all the way through and returned after scoring an unbeaten 87 off 51 deliveries, laced with 10 fours and two sixes.
He also shared an unbeaten 49-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Abdul Samad, who bolstered the Zalmi’s total at the backend with a quickfire 40-run cameo, coming off just 12 deliveries. Afridi was the pick of the bowlers for the Kings, taking two wickets for 55 runs in his four overs, while Khushdil could claim one. In another match, Islamabad United clinched a commanding victory over defending champions Lahore Qalandars in the 16th match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 at Karachi’s National Bank Stadium on Thursday. Chasing a modest target of 101, United lost just one wicket by the 11th over, thanks to an outstanding batting display from Devon Conway.
Islamabad got off to a shaky start as opener Sameer Minhas was dismissed for five runs off eight balls, which included a boundary, by Shaheen Afridi on the first delivery of the third over.
Conway then combined with Mohammad Faiq to build a steady partnership, taking their side past the 50-run mark by the sixth over.
The pair batted sensibly, scoring at a healthy pace and dominating the Qalandars’ bowling attack, boosting their team’s morale and bringing up a half-century stand. Conway was in scintillating form, striking boundaries at regular intervals to reach his maiden PSL fifty.
He finished unbeaten on 59 off 35 deliveries, including seven fours and three sixes, while Faiq contributed a brilliant 34 from 19 balls, hitting six fours, to guide Islamabad United to a comfortable win.