Peshawar Zalmi captain Babar Azam had a night to forget in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) Season 10 opener, as he was dismissed for a duck in the very first over by veteran pacer Mohammad Amir during their clash with Quetta Gladiators at the Pindi Cricket Stadium.
The golden duck marked Babar’s eighth in PSL history, tying him with Kamran Akmal for the third-most ducks in the tournament’s history and pushing him past Shaheen Afridi, who has seven. The dubious record for most ducks is still held by Imad Wasim with 12, followed by Wahab Riaz with 10.
Most Ducks in PSL History:
Imad Wasim (Islamabad United) – 12
Wahab Riaz (Peshawar Zalmi) – 10
Babar Azam (Peshawar Zalmi) – 8
Kamran Akmal (Peshawar Zalmi) – 8
Shaheen Afridi (Lahore Qalandars) – 7
Quetta Gladiators began their PSL 10 campaign in style, thrashing Zalmi by 80 runs. Quetta, batting first, piled on a mammoth 216-run total. Debutant Finn Allen impressed with a fiery 53 off 25, while skipper Saud Shakeel anchored the innings with 59 runs. Explosive contributions from Hasan Nawaz (41), Kusal Mendis (35)**, and Rilee Rossouw (21) added to the onslaught.
Zalmi’s chase faltered from the start after Babar’s early exit. Though Saim Ayub played a valiant knock with a half-century, no other batter could provide resistance.
Mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed starred with the ball, claiming 4 wickets, while Usman Tariq took 2 and Kyle Jamieson added 1. Zalmi were bowled out for 136 in 15.1 overs.
The resounding win earned Quetta Gladiators two points and sent them to the top of the PSL 10 standings early in the tournament.
