David Miller (73 off 46) and Kamran Akmal (59 off 37) guided Peshawar Zalmi to outmuscle Quetta Gladiators by 61 runs in Match 19 of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2021 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi.
The victory took Wahab Riaz’s men to third place in the points table, with four wins in seven matches. Quetta, on the other hand, are still at the bottom, with just one win.
#YellowStorm thunders in full flow in Abu Dhabi ⚡ #Zalmi #YellowStorm #HBLPSL6 #ZKingdom #PZvQG pic.twitter.com/e2I5aW2KHG
— PeshawarZalmi (@PeshawarZalmi) June 12, 2021
Earlier, Peshawar had lost Haider Ali to the first ball of the match after Sarfaraz Ahmed won the toss and asked them to bat. Shoaib Malik (2) did not last either as Peshawar were reduced to 10/2 in 2.2 overs. Mohammad Nawaz (2-33) claimed both wickets in his two-over opening spell.
Kamran and Miller then rebuilt the innings, adding 125 runs for the third wicket before the former fell to Mohammad Hasnain (1-30). Coming at No. 6, Rovman Powell hit a quickfire 19-ball 43 not out to help Peshawar pile 197/5.
Cameron Delport conceded 25 in his only over, and Zahid Mahmood 53 in three. Zahir Khan (4-0-31-0) did not have much impact either. The trio remained wicketless.
Saim Ayub had come into the side as a concussion substitute for Faf du Plessis. But Ayub (35 off 31) failed to accelerate, just like Usman Khan (28 off 23). Jake Weatherald (13), Azam Khan, Delport and Nawaz returned to the pavilion cheaply. From 62/0, they slipped to 85/6 in the span of four overs. Quetta never came back into the contest, and in the end, they finished at 136/9. Sarfaraz top-scored with 36 not out.
Wahab returned 2-20 in his four overs and Mohammad Irfan 3-27. Umaid Asif (3-0-17-2) was impressive too. His two wickets came in successive deliveries. Fabian Allen got a wicket in his only over.
Brief Scores
Peshawar Zalmi 197/5 in 20 overs (Miller 73; Nawaz 2-33) beat Quetta Gladiators 136/9 in 20 overs (Sarfaraz 36*; Irfan 3-27). Player of the Match: David Miller.