In a heart-pounding clash, Peshawar Zalmi kept the upper hand, outplaying Karachi Kings by 2 runs in the 29th match of the Pakistan Super League on Monday at National Stadium, Karachi. This exhilarating show from Peshawar Zalmi helped them culminate their league stage campaign on a winning note. Victory for Peshawar Zalmi will guarantee them the coveted top spot in the points table.
From the very start, the match seemed to be a nail-biting clash, with both teams equally determined to leave their mark on the field. Peshawar Zalmi, deciding to bat, were given a huge help at the top of the order by Babar Azam, scoring (51). Down the order, a quick firework from Rovman Powell helped the team reach (147/6) in (20) overs.
Karachi Kings, in their chase, were off to a powerful start with Tim Seifert and James Vince making (41) and (21) respectively. Their skipper Shan Masood left without scoring, however, their chase was fueled by stellar performances from veteran Shoaib Malik and Irfan Khan as they mustered (22) and (39*) respectively.
Failing to keep up with the pace, Shoaib Malik was dismissed by Naveen ul Haq, while Kieron Pollard was gone for 1, leaving the team in trouble. From Peshawar, Aamer Jamal remained resolute with the ball in hand for the final over of the innings after Babar entrusted him with the duty. Aamir repaid the faith by holding his nerve to restrict Karachi for 145/5/5 in (20)