ISLAMABAD: A fighting half-century by Quetta Gladiators batter Iftikhar Ahmed ensured his team put up a defendable total of 154-4 against Peshawar Zalmi on Monday, as the two sides faced each other in Karachi in yet another Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2023 contest.
The Gladiators were dealt an early blow when both of their openers, Martin Guptill and Jason Roy, were dismissed in quick succession. Guptill scored 12 from 16 balls while Roy made 14 from 23 before he was clean-bowled by leg-spinner Usman Qadir.
Qadir struck again when he removed Muhammad Nawaz who scored only 2 runs, trapping him lbw. Skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed and Iftikhar Ahmed both put on an impressive 74-run partnership to keep the scoreboard ticking.
However, the Gladiators' skipper was clean-bowled by Arshad Iqbal when he was on 39. It was Iftikhar Ahmed who kept the Gladiators' boat afloat, scoring an unbeaten 50 from 34 balls in an innings that included four m huge sixes and two boundaries.
Odean Smith's late blitz also helped the Gladiators finish at 155-4 at the end of 20 overs. He scored 25 runs from 12 balls.
Qadir was the pick of the bowlers for Zalmi, finishing with figures of 2/26 while Iqbal and James Neesham also grabbed one scalp each. Dasun Shanaka was the most expensive Zalmi bowler, going for 22 runs from the two overs he bowled.
A win tonight for either of the two teams would mean they will secure the number two spot on the PSL points table, right behind table-toppers Multan Sultans. At the moment, Karachi Kings are placed at number two with only 2 points and a net run rate of +0.499.
Quetta Gladiators Playing XI: Sarfaraz Ahmed, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Hafeez, Odean Smith, Iftikhar Ahmed, Martin Guptill, Wahid Bangulzai, Jason Roy, Qais Ahmed
Peshawar Zalmi Playing XI: Babar Azam, Mohammad Haris, Saim Ayub, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Rovman Powell, Dasun Shanaka, Jimmy Neesham, Wahab Riaz, Usman Qadir, Arshad Iqbal, Sufyan Muqeem
