KARACHI: Kusal Mendis gutsy knock, backed by a complete bowling performance, helped Peshawar Zalmi defeat Lahore Qalandars in their Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 clash at the National Bank Stadium on Saturday.
Set 174, Lahore Qalandars fell short by 76 runs and were bowled out for 97 in 16.5 overs.
After losing Mohammad Naeem for one in the second over, Abdullah Shafique and Fakhar Zaman stabilized the innings with a 39-run partnership.
However, the defending champions lost in the fifth over with the dismissals of Shafique and Zaman, both sent back to the pavilion on identical scores of 21.
The slide continued as Qalandars lost half of their side at the end of the 10th over. The chief tormentors were Michael Bracewell and Sufiyan Muqeem.
The situation worsened when Sikandar Raza and Shaeen Afridi were removed in back-to-back overs. As a result, Qalandars were 67-7 in 11.4 overs.
The game was long done and dusted, with debutant Dunith Wellalage resisting with 20 from 24 balls to only reduce the margin of defeat. His resistance came to an end as he was caught at the backward point off Aamer Jamal’s bowling.
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For Peshawar Zalmi, Muqeem and Bracewell shared six wickets between them, whereas Nahid Rana picked up two wickets.
Earlier, a composed half-century from Kusal Mendis and another steady outing by Babar Azam guided Peshawar Zalmi to a competitive 173-7 at the end of their 20 overs.
Put into bat first, Zalmi suffered an early setback when Mohammad Haris fell after a brisk 18 off 10 balls, undone by Shaheen Shah Afridi.
However, what followed was a stabilizing and impactful partnership between Babar and Mendis, who combined to add 109 runs for the second wicket.
With this win, Peshawar Zalmi moved to the top position on the points table with nine points.
The duo kept the scoreboard ticking with calculated aggression, pushing the Qalandars’ bowling unit onto the back foot.
During the stand, Mendis brought up a fluent half-century, while Babar also reached a historic milestone, becoming the first player to cross 4000 runs in PSL history.
The partnership was eventually broken in the 16th over when Usama Mir dismissed Babar for 43 off 40 deliveries.
The Qalandars struck again soon after, with Afridi removing Mendis for a well-crafted 74 off 48 balls, an innings that included five fours and four sixes.
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Zalmi’s middle order struggled to maintain the same momentum in the closing stages. Ubaid Shah removed Abdul Samad cheaply, while Michael Bracewell provided a brief late flourish with a 10-ball 21 before falling to Mustafizur Rahman.
Zalmi eventually closed their innings at 173-7, with Iftikhar Ahmed (7) and Sufiyan Muqeem (1) unbeaten at the crease.
For the Qalandars, Afridi led from the front with three wickets, while Mustafizur chipped in with two. Ubaid Shah and Usama Mir claimed one apiece.
READ: Babar Azam becomes first batter to achieve historic PSL milestone