HBL PSL 2025
\n LAHORE
\nPeshawar Zalmi ensured their pursuit for the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) playoffs stayed alive as debutant Maaz Sadaqat and skipper Babar Azam starred in a low-scoring encounter to give their team a six-wicket win over Islamabad United here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Friday night.
\nZalmi are placed fifth in the standings \u2014 with two points separating them from Karachi Kings \u2014 but mathematically still in it with three games to go. United, however safe at the top, have lost their second match in a row after winning five on the trot.
\nThey were poor with the bat against Zalmi, giving them 144 to chase, before Babar and Maaz \u2014 both scoring half centuries \u2014 combined for 100 runs in 60 balls to help Zalmi bounce back from a difficult start to chase down the target with 20 balls to spare.
\nZalmi were reduced to 40-3 in the powerplay with Kyle Mayer striking on the second ball of the innings to get Mitch Owen, Ben Dwarshuis making Saim Ayub play on to his stumps and Mohammad Haris falling victim to a spectacular catch by Naseem Shah off Riley Meredith\u2019s bowling.
\nBabar and Maaz initiated their response with caution, with only 20 runs coming in the next three overs, before Maaz pulled, and smacked Mayers straight down the ground for two sixes to take his team to 76-3 at halfway stage.
\nMaaz punished a wayward delivery by Naseem in the 12th over to bring up his 50 partnership with Babar before pulling Dwarshuis for another six and scored two boundaries off Saad Masood\u2019s spin in the next over to reach his half century.
\nAfter the youngster creamed Meredith through long-off for another four, Babar (53 not out off 49, four fours and a six) joined the party, lifting the pacer over the same region for his first six. He brought up his half century and the 100-run partnership with Maaz with a four off Naseem in the 16th over.
\nThe very over saw Maaz (55 off 33, four fours and three sixes) fall, but by that point, he had virtually won Zalmi the match.
\nEarlier, after winning the toss, United struggled to bat on a bowling friendly surface, before Dwarshuis\u2019 late cameo helped them to 143-9.
\nDwarshuis, coming in to bat with United reeling at 107-7 at the start of the 17th over, smashed three fours and two sixes in his knock of 33 off 17 balls.
\nHe broke United\u2019s shackles with a splendid four over midwicket, picking a slower shorter delivery by Ahmed Daniyal before clubbing the pacer over long-on.
\nAfter seeing Imad Wasim lose his wicket on the other end, Dwarshuis cleared long-on again, this time off Alzarri Joseph\u2019s pace before getting a lucky boundary. He was helped by Babar\u2019s misfielding at long-off for four more as United closed their innings.
\nThe start of it saw openers Sahibzada Farhan and Mayers \u2014 playing his first match of the season \u2014 see off immense pace and movement by Joseph and Luke Wood to reach 49-0 in the powerplay.
\nZalmi missed an opportunity for an early breakthrough when Farhan, after surviving an lbw appeal on the first ball of the match, played Wood straight into the hands of Babar at mid-off, only for the Zalmi captain to drop him.
\nFarhan, having celebrated his reprieve by bludgeoning three fours and a six in the first six overs, however, saw Babar eventually take him in the ninth over with Ahmed striking.
\nMayers followed suit three balls later to give fast bowler Mohammad Ali his first wicket before Saim got Salman Ali Agha as Haris took a brilliant catch behind to wickets with the scoreboard reading 75-3 at the end of the 11th over.
\nThe incoming Shadab Khan had hit two fours to end Saim\u2019s wicket-taking over, but the all-rounder holed Joseph out to Maaz at midwicket before Ali (3-26) returned to get Colin Munro and Saad.
\nAzam Khan was next in line to lose his wicket, with Wood bouncing him out before Dwarshuis took over.<\/p>\n
SCOREBOARD
\nISLAMABAD UNITED:
\nSahibzada Farhan c Babar b Ahmed 36
\nKyle Mayers c Joseph b Ali 18
\nColin Munro c Haris b Ali 11
\nSalman Ali Agha c Haris b Saim 4
\nShadab Khan c Maaz b Joseph 15
\nAzam Khan c Haris b Wood 8
\nSaad Masood c Haris b Ali 1
\nImad Wasim run out (Babar) 10
\nBen Dwarshuis not out 33
\nNaseem Shah c Babar b Hussain 1
\nEXTRAS (LB-3, W-3) 6
\nTOTAL (for nine wickets, 20 overs) 143
\nDID NOT BAT: Riley Meredith
\nFALL OF WICKETS: 1-58 (Farhan), 2-62 (Mayers), 3-67 (Salman), 4-89 (Shadab), 5-89 (Munro), 6-91 (Saad), 7-107 (Azam), 8-124 (Imad), 9-143 (Naseem)
\nBOWLING: Wood 4-0-26-1 (1w), Joseph 4-0-29-1, Ali 4-0-26-3, Ahmed 4-0-29-1 (2w), Saim 2-0-16-1, Hussain 2-0-14-1
\nPESHAWAR ZALMI:
\nMitchell Owen c Dwarshuis b Mayers 6
\nSaim Ayub b Dwarshuis 1
\nBabar Azam not out 53
\nMohammad Haris c Naseem b Meredith 13
\nMaaz Sadaqat c Azam b Naseem 55
\nMax Bryant not out 4
\nEXTRAS (LB-1, NB-2, W-11) 14
\nTOTAL (for four wickets, 16. four overs) 147
\nDID NOT BAT: Luke Wood, Alzarri
\nJoseph, Mohammad Ali, Ahmed Daniyal, Hussain Talat
\nFALL OF WICKETS: 1-6 (Owen), 2-12 (Saim), 3-38 (Haris), 4-140 (Maaz)
\nBOWLING: Mayers 2-0-28-1 (1w), Dwarshuis 3.4-0-23-1 (2w), Naseem 4-0-24-1 (2w), Meredith 3-0-30-1 (1w), Salman 1-0-7-0, Imad 2-0-14-0 (1w), Saad 1-0-20-0 (1w, 2nb)
\nRESULT: Peshawar Zalmi won by six wickets.
\nPLAYER-OF-THE-MATCH: Maaz Sadaqat
\nCURRENT STANDING
\nTabulated under (Teams, matches, wins, losses, points, net run-rate)
\nUnited 7 5 2 10 0.774
\nQalandars 8 4 3 9 1.110
\nGladiators 7 4 2 9 1.034
\nKings 7 4 3 8 0.445
\nZalmi 7 3 4 6 -0.507
\nSultans 8 1 7 2 -2.597<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
HBL PSL 2025 LAHORE Peshawar Zalmi ensured their pursuit for the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) playoffs stayed alive as debutant Maaz Sadaqat and skipper Babar Azam starred in a low-scoring encounter to give their team a six-wicket win over Islamabad United here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Friday night. Zalmi are placed fifth in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":476219,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-476202","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n