PSL 2020: Qalandars beat Zalmi for first time in 5 years

PSL 2020: Lahore Qalandars vs Peshawar Zalmi, March 10, match 24

By Web Desk
March 10, 2020
AFP

The Lahore Qalandars’ misfiring top order finally came alive on Tuesday, with their front three all making contribution in a successful run chase that netted them their first victory over Peshawar Zami since 2016.

The resurgent Qalandars, chasing 188, got a 50-run opening stand from their openers Fakhar Zaman and Sohail Akhtar. And when the latter departed, in walked Chris Lynn whose 32-ball 59 gained the home side the upper hand.

But Lynn and Zaman (63 off 46) both were dismissed on back-to-back balls, following which Mohammad Hafeez and Ben Dunk also walked in and walked out quickly.

A match that had seemed under control for so long finally seemed to wrestle itself free from Lahore’s grips. It was needlessly allowed to go down to the wire but Samit Patel and David Wiese got what needed done to get their side their third consecutive win.

Earlier, Zalmi, invited to bat first, suffered the worst possible start when they lost their English opener Tom Banton in the very first over of the match. Liam Livingstone and Kamran Akmal didn’t last long either as the possibility of a meltdown reared its head.

However, just when it seemed that a meltdown was on the cards, the young Haider Ali and not-so-young Shoaib Malik formed a crucial 116-run partnership.

Malik scored a 43-ball 62 while Haider finished with a 43-ball 69 as he showed why he is rated so highly in Pakistan, helping Zalmi finish with 187-7.

But Lynn and Zaman (63 off 46) both were dismissed within a span of a few balls, following which Mohammad Hafeez and Ben Dunk also walked in and walked out quickly.

MATCH PREVIEWLahore take on Peshawar in most one-sided matchup of PSL history

The poll

Playing XIs

Lahore Qalandars: Fakhar Zaman, CA Lynn, Mohammad Hafeez, BR Dunk†, Sohail Akhtar*, SR Patel, D Wiese, Dilbar Hussain, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Maaz Khan

Peshawar Zalmi: Kamran Akmal†, Haider Ali, T Banton, Shoaib Malik, LS Livingstone, L Gregory, CR Brathwaite, Wahab Riaz*, Hasan Ali, Yasir Shah, Rahat Ali

The match can be seen live on Geo Super, while ball-by-ball live score updates can be viewed here.

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