ISLAMABAD: Peshawar Zalmi built up their momentum ahead of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 8 playoffs on Sunday by defeating Islamabad United by 13 runs at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, courtesy of a stellar knock by opener Mohammad Haris.
Zalmi’s innings began on a disappointing note when opener Saim Ayub was clean bowled by Fazalhaq Farooqi on the third bowl he played. However, Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Haris built up a 115-run partnership to see the “Yellow Storm” through the woods.
Haris scored 79 runs from 39 balls, hitting five sixes and seven fours while Rajapaksa made 41 runs from 25 balls. The rest of the Zalmi batters failed to live up to the expectations, as an impressive Hassan Ali finished up with figures of 3/39 from his four overs while Shadab Khan took 2/42.
Zalmi finished at 178/9 from their 20 overs.
United made a couple of changes to their batting order, playing Hassan Nawaz with Alex Hales at the beginning of the innings. The move cost the two-time PSL champions as Zalmi’s Khurram Shahzad dismissed him for 0 from 5 balls.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who batted at number five, scored 33 runs from 24 balls while United skipper Shadab Khan scored 25 from 19 balls. Asif Ali fared poorly, managing only 5 from 7 balls. Faheem Ashraf played well once again, as his brief cameo of 38 runs from 13 balls featured four sixes and two fours.
United were bowled out for 166 from 19.4 overs, with bowlers Shahzad (3/13 from 1.4 overs) and Sufiiyan Muqeem (3/37), James Neesham (2/23), and Aamer Jamal (2/28) keeping the United batters at bay.
Zalmi remain at number four on the points table, with 10 points to their credit after five wins. Babar Azam’s team have already qualified for the PSL playoffs.