Zalmi, Qalandars contest for PSL top slot in Abu Dhabi

KARACHI: Peshawar Zalmi won the toss and invited Lahore Qalanders to bat at Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Stadium where Multan Sultan defeated the defending Champion Karachi Kings by 12 runs on Thursday.
Zalmi are on number 3 at points table with 6 points, striving to replace Lahore Qalanders as the top tournament team, though a win for Lahore will help Qalanders earn two more points and continue to lead the contest with 10 points.
In the first match of the day, a brilliant knock by Babar Azam (85 of 63 balls) was wasted after Multan Sultan’s Imran Khan bowled a tight last over and only conceded 10 of the 23 required runs while taking three wickets.
Chadwick Walton remained the only second successful batsman for Kings who scored 35 of 23 deliveries and made a solid partnership with Azam for his team.
No other Kings batsman could make a significant contribution while chasing a target of 177, which Multan Sultan made at a loss of five wickets.
Rilee Rossouw (44 runs), Khushdil Khan (44 runs), Sohaib Maqsood (31 runs) and Muhammad Rizwan (29 runs) remained the notable batsmen who helped their team set a defendable target on a good bowling pitch.
Rilee Rossouw was declared man of the match for his 44 of 24 balls.
Pakistan’s flagship cricket super league tournament resumed in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, with Lahore Qalandars bagging a five-wicket last-ball victory over Islamabad United.
The HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) was postponed in March after a string of positive coronavirus cases among players and officials. While previous matches were held in Pakistan, the resumed series is being hosted at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
In the last match of PSL's sixth edition on Wednesday, Islamabad United set a 144-run target for Lahore Qalandars. Before the tournament was halted, United had won three out of four matches and were above Qalandars on the basis of Net Run Rate (NRR) on the points table.
Captain Sohail Akhtar (40 off 30 balls, five fours and one six) and Mohammad Hafeez (29 off 25) were the chief run-getters for Lahore.
The HBL Pakistan Super League was postponed in March after a string of positive coronavirus cases among players and officials. While previous matches were held in Pakistan, the resumed series is being hosted at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi.