KARACHI:  A swift 50 off 44 by Ravi Bopara helped Peshawar Zalmi set a handsome 141 run target for the Lahore Qalandars at Karachi’s national stadium on Sunday, but all-rounder Rashid Khan’s late onslaught including a final helicopter style six helped Lahore clinch a four-wicket win in the second match of the hugely popular T20 Super League.
The Pakistan Super League (PSL) kicked off on Saturday evening with a festive opening ceremony followed by the first match of the edition.
Shaheen Shah Afridi, who was named Man of the Match for his bowling figures of 3 for 14, played an important role in the Qalandar's victory for his team. Lahore won the toss and invited Zalmi to bat first.
Both Peshawar Zalmi openers, Imam-ul-Haq and Kamran Akmal, were bowled out quickly, and batsman Shoaib Malik played an innings of 26 runs, taking his team’s score to 46 after losing his wicket to David Wiese in the seventh over.
British cricketer Bopara and West Indian Sherfane Rutherford resisted the Qalandars’ blowing attack and took the score to 110 before Afridi took Rutherford's wicket. Bopara, who remained central in Zalmi’s innings, was also sent to the pavilion by Afridi after adding a valuable 50 runs to the team’s total. The late innings onslaught by Ahmed Butt, who put 23 on the board at 11 balls with the help of two sixes helped his team set a decent target for Qalandars to chase.
Afridi remained the most successful bowler taking three wickets by conceding just 14 runs in his four overs, while Salman Mirza bowled two Zalmi players out. Afghan spinner Rashid Khan could not grab any wicket but conceded just 14 runs in his four overs with an excellent economy rate.
In the chase, Zalmi’s bowlers kept the contest close and continued to take wickets, confining the required run rate to around 8 per over. Fakhar Zaman scored 15, Sohail Akhtar made 14 runs while Agha Salman added 21 runs to his team’s total.
Ben Dunk was bowled out by Wahab Riaz before scoring 22. Muhammad Hafeez scored 33 off 26 and remained not out. The Zalmi’s pacer Saqib Mahmood took two wickets, making the match tough for the Qalandars, but then Rashid Khan came to the crease and scored a brilliant 27 runs off 15 balls. The Qalandars eventually won by 4 wickets with 9 balls remaining and thus recorded their first victory in the cricket league’s 2021 edition.
Zalmi will play their second match against the Multan Sultans on Tuesday. 
The first 20 matches of the PSL will be played in Karachi between Feb. 20 and March 7. The teams will then depart for Lahore to play the remaining ten league matches and four playoffs. The Pakistan Cricket Board has allowed 20 percent of stadium capacity to be filled by fans as part of COVID-19 protocols.
The tournament will conclude with a final match at Lahore’s Qaddafi stadium on March 22.