Sufiyan Muqeem and Michael Bracewell combined to take six wickets in a dominant bowling performance.
Peshawar Zalmi defeated Lahore Qalandars by 76 runs in their Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 encounter, securing their fourth win with a dominant bowling performance at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi on Saturday.
The Qalandars were bowled out for just 97 in the 17th over while chasing a target of 174, as Zalmi’s bowling attack completely overpowered the batting side.
Lahore Qalandars got off to a disappointing start when pacer Shoriful Islam removed opener Mohammad Naeem for just one run off two balls in the second over.
Fakhar Zaman and Abdullah Shafique then attempted to stabilise the innings, putting together a useful partnership while keeping the scoreboard moving at a steady rate.
However, Nahid Rana broke the 39-run stand by dismissing Shafique for 21 off 15 balls, which included four boundaries, leaving Lahore at 43-2 after 5.4 overs.
Fakhar followed soon after, falling to Michael Bracewell on the third ball of the seventh over after scoring 21 off 19 deliveries, with three fours.
The collapse continued as Haseebullah and Asif Ali were dismissed in quick succession by Bracewell and Sufiyan Muqeem respectively. Haseebullah scored just three off eight balls, while Asif was out for a duck, reducing Qalandars to 56-5 in 9.2 overs.
Sikandar Raza also failed to build momentum, scoring 14 off 13 balls with two fours before being dismissed by Bracewell, who claimed his third wicket.
Sufiyan Muqeem then struck again to remove Shaheen Afridi for five off seven balls, leaving Lahore struggling at 67-7 in 11.4 overs.
Nahid Rana returned to take his second wicket by dismissing Usama Mir for one, as the batting collapse deepened. Qalandars soon found themselves nine down when Sufiyan removed Ubaid Shah for four off six balls, including a boundary, while Wellalage was the final wicket to fall after making 20, dismissed by Aamer Jamal.
Earlier, Zalmi’s innings began confidently as openers Mohammad Haris and Babar Azam set an aggressive tone. Haris provided early momentum before Shaheen Afridi struck in the second ball of his second over, removing him for 18 off 10 balls, including two fours and a six.
Babar then joined forces with Kusal Mendis to rebuild the innings, with the pair forming a strong and composed partnership that carried Zalmi past the 50-run mark and shifted control in their favour.
Mendis looked in excellent touch, reaching a well-crafted PSL 11 half-century, while Babar anchored the innings with maturity as their stand crossed 100 runs. The duo added 109 runs together, displaying excellent timing and control.
The partnership ended when Usama Mir dismissed Babar for 43 off 40 balls, including three fours and a six, leaving Zalmi at 127-2 in 15.2 overs.
Michael Bracewell then added important runs to push the total beyond 150, but Shaheen Afridi struck again to remove Mendis for a superb 74 off 48 balls, featuring five fours and four sixes.
Ubaid Shah later dismissed Abdul Samad for two, reducing Zalmi to 153-4 in 17.3 overs. Late wickets continued to fall as Mustafizur Rahman removed Bracewell for a quick 21 off 10 balls, while Shaheen Afridi returned in the final over to claim his third wicket by dismissing Farhan Yousaf for two.
Zalmi finished their innings at 173-7 in 20 overs, with Iftikhar Ahmed unbeaten on seven and Sufiyan Muqeem on one.
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