Skipper Babar Azam led from the front with a fantastic half-century as Peshawar Zalmi continued their unbeaten run in the PSL with an impressive eight-wicket win over Quetta Gladiators in Karachi on Wednesday.
Babar’s unbeaten 71 off 51 balls (10 fours) helped Peshawar chase down 154 with nine balls to spare after Mohammad Basit (4-0-36-3) and Sufyan Moqim (4-0-25-3) shared six wickets to restrict Quetta to a modest total.
With Wednesday’s comfortable win, Peshawar now lead the table with 13 points from seven matches, six points ahead of second-placed Multan Sultans (eight points from six matches).
Three-time champions Islamabad United remain in third place with seven points from six matches, while Karachi Kings are in fourth place with six points from five matches.
The top four teams in the eight-team league will qualify for the playoffs.
On Wednesday, Babar recorded his 100th half-century in T20 cricket.
Having added 75 runs for the first wicket with opening partner Mohammad Haris (35 off 28 balls), Babar remained solid, playing some superb shots without pushing too hard to drag the team over the line.
Earlier, medium-pacer Basit and left-arm spinner Moqim delivered outstanding spells, never allowing the Quetta batters to get into rhythm.
Hasan Nawaz (37) top-scored for Quetta, but none of the other batters managed to cope with the brilliance of Basit and Moqim.
Despite the defeat, Quetta (four points from six matches) remain in fifth place with their playoffs hopes still alive.
Brief scores:
Peshawar Zalmi beat Quetta Gladiators by eight wickets at National Bank Stadium, Karachi
Quetta Gladiators 154 all out, 20 overs (Hasan Nawaz 37, Rilee Rossouw 26, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay 20; Sufyan Moqim 3-25, Mohammad Basit 3-36)
Peshawar Zalmi 156-2, 18.3 overs (Babar Azam 71 not out, Mohammad Haris 35, Kusal Mendis 21)
Player of the Match: Sufyan Moqim (Peshawar Zalmi)
Source: Khaleej Times