Babar Azam’s Century Powers Zalmi to Crushing 118-Run Win Over Gladiators
KARACHI: A masterclass from Babar Azam, combined with a disciplined all-round bowling display, powered Peshawar Zalmi to a crushing 118-run win over Quetta Gladiators in the 29th fixture of Pakistan Super League (PSL 11) at the National Bank Stadium on Sunday.
Facing a massive 256-run target, the Gladiators never found momentum and were eventually dismissed for 137 in 18.1 overs.
Bevon Jacobs showed resistance with a fighting 34 off 27 balls, while Shamyl Hussain chipped in with 21. Dinesh Chandimal and Alzarri Joseph scored 19 each, and captain Saud Shakeel managed 12, but the rest of the batting unit failed to offer support.
Zalmi’s bowling unit operated with precision, as Mohammad Basit and Ali Raza led the charge with three wickets apiece. Aaron Hardie grabbed two, while Sufiyan Muqeem and Michael Bracewell added one each to wrap up a dominant performance.
Earlier, opting to bowl first proved costly for Saud Shakeel, as Zalmi piled up an imposing 255/3 in their 20 overs, largely driven by a commanding partnership between Babar Azam and Kusal Mendis.
Zalmi made an explosive start, courtesy of Mohammad Haris, whose quickfire 16 helped them race to 30 in just nine deliveries before Alzarri Joseph struck to remove him.
After the early breakthrough, Kusal Mendis joined Babar in the middle, and the pair completely took control of the innings. Their remarkable 135-run stand for the second wicket laid the foundation for a massive total, with both batters bringing up half-centuries during the partnership.
The stand was finally broken by Usman Tariq in the 15th over, as Mendis departed after a brilliant 83 off 44 balls, including 10 fours and three sixes.
Babar then stitched a short but effective 24-run partnership with Farhan Yousaf, who added a brisk 19 from just eight deliveries.
In the closing stages, Babar found another strong ally in Aaron Hardie, with the pair adding an unbeaten 66 runs to finish the innings in style.
Leading from the front, Babar Azam reached his third PSL century on the final ball of the innings, remaining unbeaten on 100 off 52 deliveries, decorated with six fours and four sixes. Hardie provided late fireworks with a rapid 26 off just 10 balls, smashing three sixes.
For the Gladiators, Abrar Ahmed, Alzarri Joseph, and Usman Tariq claimed one wicket each, but it wasn’t enough to prevent a one-sided contest.
