RAWALPINDI: Teenage pacer Ali Raza claimed four wickets after a dominant batting display to power Peshawar Zalmi to a thumping 120-run victory against Multan Sultans during the ninth match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 10 here on Saturday.
Chasing a mammoth 228, Multan Sultans crumbled under pressure as Peshawar Zalmi bowled them out for just 107, sealing their biggest-ever win in terms of runs.
The Sultans never looked settled in the chase, losing skipper Mohammad Rizwan in the fourth over for 15, with just 27 on the board.
Shai Hope (20) and Usman Khan tried to stabilise the innings, adding 36 runs for the second wicket, but Hope’s dismissal in the seventh over, courtesy of Arif Yaqoob, opened the floodgates.
The remaining eight wickets fell for just 44 runs as Zalmi’s bowlers ran riot, dismantling the Sultans’ middle and lower order with relentless accuracy.
Usman Khan was the lone warrior for his side, scoring a fighting 44 off 22 balls, decorated with four boundaries and three sixes, but he received no support from the other end.
Zalmi’s bowling unit was clinical, with Ali Raza leading the charge with a fiery spell, returning with figures of 4 for 21. Arif Yaqoob showed his brilliance by grabbing three wickets, while Mitchell Owen chipped in with two.
Earlier, Peshawar Zalmi’s decision to bat first looked shaky early on as they lost both openers, Saim Ayub and Babar Azam, for just 2 runs each within the first 13 balls, slipping to 5 for 2 in 2.1 overs.
However, Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Mohammad Haris sparked a dramatic recovery, counterattacking with flair in a blistering 79-run stand off just 31 balls for the third wicket.
Haris led the charge with an explosive 45 off 21, hammering four fours and three sixes, before falling to Ubaid Shah in the eighth over.
Kohler-Cadmore then kept the scoreboard ticking alongside Hussain Talat, adding another 53 runs for the fourth wicket.
The English batter scored 52 in just 30 balls, laced with two boundaries and five towering sixes, before being dismissed by Michael Bracewell in the 14th over with the score at 137.
Talat, who chipped in with a handy 37 off 29, was sent back in the very next over by Iftikhar Ahmed, leaving Zalmi in need of a late surge.
That’s exactly what they got, thanks to a blazing partnership between Mitchell Owen and Abdul Samad. The pair added a staggering 73 runs in just 25 balls, propelling the total beyond the 200-run mark.
Owen smashed 34 off 15 with one four and four sixes before being dismissed by David Willey in the penultimate over, while Samad’s fireworks yielded 40 off just 14, including four fours and three sixes, before he fell in the final over.
For Multan Sultans, Ubaid Shah, Bracewell, and Willey bagged two wickets each, while Iftikhar Ahmed chipped in with one.
SQUADs
Multan Sultans: Mohammad Rizwan (c & wk), Shai Hope, Usman Khan, Kamran Ghulam, Ashton Turner, Michael Bracewell, Iftikhar Ahmed, David Willey, Usama Mir, Akif Javed, Ubaid Shah
Peshawar Zalmi: Babar Azam (c), Saim Ayub, Mohammad Haris (wk), Tom-Kohler Cadmore, Hussain Talat, Mitch Owen, Abdul Samad, Luke Wood, Alzari Joseph, Arif Yaqoob, Ali Raza
HEAD TO HEAD
Since the inception of the PSL, Multan Sultans and Peshawar Zalmi have faced each other 16 times. Multan Sultans have a superior record, winning 11 matches, while Peshawar Zalmi has won 5 games.
RECORD: Matches 16, Multan Sultans 11, Peshawar Zalmi 5
