Qalandars Stay in the Hunt as Fakhar’s Heroics Sink Zalmi

LAHORE: A composed unbeaten knock from Fakhar Zaman guided Lahore Qalandars to a crucial six-wicket win over table-toppers Peshawar Zalmi in the 38th match of PSL 11 at Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday.

The victory kept the defending champions in the hunt, taking their tally to 10 points. However, their qualification hopes still hinge on the result of Sunday’s clash between Hyderabad Kingsmen and Rawalpindiz at the National Bank Stadium.

Chasing a challenging 200 in a must-win encounter, Qalandars reached the target with four wickets down and three balls remaining.

Their innings began on a shaky note when Mohammad Naeem fell early for 10, dismissed by Khurram Shahzad with just 21 runs on the board. Fakhar then steadied the innings, stitching together valuable partnerships with Abdullah Shafique and Charith Asalanka, who chipped in with 25 and 33 respectively.

The left-hander later accelerated alongside Sikandar Raza, adding quick runs to keep the chase on track. Raza, who smashed 29 off just 11 balls, was unlucky to depart via a hit-wicket off Sufiyan Muqeem in the 16th over.

Despite that setback, Qalandars maintained control as Daniel Sams played a vital late cameo, smashing an unbeaten 35 off 15 deliveries to seal the win in the final over. Fakhar remained unbeaten on 58 from 47 balls, anchoring the chase with authority.

For Zalmi, Ali Raza, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khurram Shahzad and Sufiyan Muqeem picked up one wicket each.

Earlier, Zalmi posted a strong 199 for 4 after being put in to bat, largely due to a solid partnership between Babar Azam and Michael Bracewell.

Their innings had an early wobble when Shaheen Shah Afridi removed James Vince and Kusal Mendis in quick succession, reducing them to 36 for 2. Babar and Bracewell then rebuilt the innings with a crucial 94-run stand, both reaching half-centuries.

Haris Rauf eventually broke the stand by dismissing Babar for 59 off 45 balls. Bracewell continued to dominate, adding another key partnership with Iftikhar Ahmed to push the total close to 200.

Bracewell was the standout performer with the bat, scoring an aggressive 83 off 45 deliveries, while Iftikhar provided late support with an unbeaten 27 from 14 balls.

For Qalandars, Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf claimed two wickets each, although Rauf proved expensive, conceding 46 runs in his four overs.