Peshawar Zalmi overpower Multan Sultans to strengthen their playoff chances
MULTAN: A disciplined bowling performance, complemented by Saim Ayub’s fluent 49, powered Peshawar Zalmi to a convincing seven-wicket win over the struggling Multan Sultans in the 25th fixture of Pakistan Super League (PSL) 10 at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Monday.
Chasing a modest target of 109, Zalmi cruised home with seven wickets in hand and 42 balls to spare, securing their fourth victory of the season and edging closer to fourth-placed Lahore Qalandars in the standings.
The 2017 champions had an early hiccup in their chase when Mitchell Owen departed for just one run, dismissed by David Willey in the opening over with only eight on the board.
However, Ayub steadied the innings, forging a 49-run stand with captain Babar Azam. Babar struggled for fluency, managing eight runs off 13 balls before falling to emerging pacer Shahid Aziz in the seventh over.
Aziz struck again in his next over, removing the well-set Ayub, who top-scored with a 33-ball 49 featuring four boundaries and three sixes.
Fletcher Bryant anchored the chase expertly, finishing unbeaten on 38 off 20 balls, including five fours and a six. He shared a decisive 40-run stand with Mohammad Haris, who remained not out on seven from 10 deliveries.
For Multan, Shahid Aziz led the bowling effort with 2/17 in his three overs, while Willey picked up one wicket.
Earlier, Multan’s decision to bat first misfired as they were bundled out for just 108 in 19.1 overs.
The home side’s innings got off to a shaky start, losing both openers—Yasir Khan (10) and captain Mohammad Rizwan (17)—inside the powerplay with just 34 runs on the board.
Tayyab Tahir provided brief resistance with a brisk 22 off 18 balls, hitting two fours and a six, but fell to Ahmed Daniyal in the ninth over, triggering a collapse that saw Multan stumble to 66/6 by the 13th over.
Shai Hope fought hard with a 21-ball 23, laced with two fours and a six, and added 20 cautious runs alongside Willey, but his departure in the 15th over signaled the end of Multan’s hopes of a competitive total.
Willey (8 off 16) and Hasnain (11 off 10) offered little at the tail as Zalmi wrapped up the innings swiftly, with Hasnain being the last to fall on the first ball of the final over.
Ahmed Daniyal starred with the ball for Zalmi, claiming 3/17 in his four overs. Maaz Sadaqat and Luke Wood took two wickets each, while Ali Raza, Saim Ayub, and Alzarri Joseph chipped in with one apiece.
