A commanding all-round performance, led by skipper Babar Azam and a disciplined bowling effort, powered Peshawar Zalmi to a convincing eight-wicket victory over Quetta Gladiators in the 23rd match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 at the National Bank Stadium on Wednesday.
The win marked Zalmi’s sixth in seven matches and their fifth consecutive victory, following a washout against Islamabad United in Lahore.
Chasing a modest target of 155, Zalmi comfortably reached 156/2 with nine balls to spare. The foundation of the chase was laid by an aggressive opening stand between Mohammad Haris and Babar Azam, who combined for 75 runs inside nine overs. Haris contributed a brisk 35 off 28 balls, including five fours and a six, before being dismissed by Gladiators captain Saud Shakeel.
Babar then stitched a crucial 49-run partnership with Kusal Mendis, who scored 21, ensuring Zalmi maintained control of the chase. After Mendis fell to Alzarri Joseph in the 16th over, Babar remained unbeaten and guided his side home with an unbroken 32-run stand alongside Aaron Hardie, who added 18 not out.
The Zalmi captain anchored the innings with a composed unbeaten 71 off 51 deliveries, decorated with 10 boundaries.
Earlier, Zalmi’s bowlers set up the victory by restricting Quetta to 154 all out after opting to field first. Sufiyan Muqeem continued his impressive run, claiming his fifth consecutive three-wicket haul and finishing with economical figures of 3/25. Abdul Basit matched his tally with three wickets, while Iftikhar Ahmed chipped in with one.
Quetta endured an early setback when Ahsan Ali fell for four in the opening over. Saud Shakeel and Rilee Rossouw attempted to rebuild with a 35-run partnership before the former was run out for 16.
Rossouw added 28 off 16 balls, including four fours, while forming another brief stand with Hassan Nawaz. Muqeem struck key blows, including the dismissal of Shamyl Hussain, as Quetta slipped to 86/4.
Nawaz top-scored with 37 off 35 balls, while Khawaja Nafay made 20. Late resistance from Tom Curran (15 off 10) proved insufficient as Zalmi wrapped up the innings by taking the final four wickets for 34 runs.
For Quetta, Joseph and Saud Shakeel picked up a wicket each, but their efforts were not enough to prevent Zalmi from securing a comprehensive victory.
The result further strengthens Zalmi’s position at the top of the table, underlining their strong form in the ongoing PSL season.