In the 29th match of the Pakistan Super League, Lahore Qalandars not only secured a remarkable victory by defeating Peshawar Zalmi by 26 runs but also confirmed their place in the playoff stage.
In this rain-affected match, both teams were given 13 overs each to play. The match began with explosive batting from Lahore Qalandars. Fakhar Zaman turned the tide of the match with a blistering innings of 60 runs off 36 balls.
Fakhar hit 5 fours and 2 towering sixes, while Mohammad Naeem provided an excellent start by playing an aggressive innings of 22 runs off just 10 balls. Kusal Perera scored 17 runs and Asif Ali added 18 runs off just 6 balls, taking the total score to 149.
Peshawar Zalmi’s fielding was extremely disappointing. Four crucial catches were dropped, including one of Fakhar Zaman, which Lahore Qalandars capitalized on fully. In reply, Peshawar Zalmi’s batting completely collapsed. They needed 150 runs in 13 overs but the entire team was restricted to just 123 runs.
Although Daniel Sams put up some resistance by scoring an unbeaten 26 runs, Lahore’s fast bowler Salman Mirza’s destructive bowling shattered Zalmi’s batting lineup. He took 4 key wickets in his 4 overs, conceding only 31 runs, and was declared the Player of the Match.
Salman Mirza dismissed Saim Ayub via stumping and in his next over bowled out Mohammad Haris and Max Bryant on consecutive deliveries. The delivery that dismissed Bryant was particularly spectacular, coming in from outside the off-stump to uproot the stumps.
This victory by Lahore Qalandars was not only the result of excellent teamwork but also made memorable by Salman Mirza’s devastating bowling and Fakhar Zaman’s aggressive batting. On the other hand, Peshawar Zalmi, suffering from continuous defeats, was eliminated from the tournament and finished fifth on the points table.
Now, Lahore Qalandars will participate in the Eliminator match of the playoff stage on Thursday, where they will face another winning team.
