Hazratullah Zazai’s blistering 26-ball 63 helped Peshawar Zalmi (PZ) beat Karachi Kings (KK) by six wickets in Match 24 of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2021 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi. Coming to chase a mere 110, Wahab Riaz’s men reached the target with nine overs to spare.
The victory took Peshawar to second place in the points table, with five wins in nine matches. Imad Wasim’s Karachi, on the other hand, sit at fifth, with three wins. They had resumed the UAE leg at the top of the table.
Wahab trapped Babar Azam leg-before in the opening over after winning the toss and asked Karachi to bat first. Neither Martin Guptill nor Chadwick Walton lasted, and they were left reeling at 12/3 after three overs. Sharjeel Khan (25) and Najibullah Zadran (17 off 27) then held the fort but failed to accelerate.
Imad scored just 19 in 31 balls before falling to Wahab in the 17th over. Abbas Afridi (27 not out off 17) was the only Karachi batter who had a strike rate over 105 before they closed on 108/9. This is their lowest total in PSL history.
Abrar Ahmed, formerly Karachi, was the pick of the Peshawar Bowlers with impressive figures of 4-0-14-3. He was ably supported by Wahab (3-34) and Sameen Gul (3-0-13-2). Apart from Wahab, no Peshawar bowlers had an economy rate over five and a half.
Peshawar lost Kamran Akmal (9) early. Despite that, Zazai showed urgency and notched up his fifty in 17 balls, the joint-fastest in the tournament’s history. There was little contest left when Imad (2-1-2-2) bowled Zazai in the ninth over.
Following Zazai’s departure, Peshawar lost two more wickets in quick succession. Rovman Powell (2*) and Sherfane Rutherford (2*) then ensured a near-perfect win with 9 overs in hand.
Brief Scores
Karachi Kings 108/9 (Abbas Afridi 27*, Abrar 3-14) lost to Peshawar Zalmi 109/4 in 11 overs (Zazai 63, Imad 2-2) by 6 wickets with 54 balls to spare. Player of the Match: Hazratullah Zazai.