Islamabad United Clinch Victory against Peshawar Zalmi in PSL 2023 Match
In the 12th match of the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) held at the National Bank Cricket Arena in Karachi, Islamabad United trounced Peshawar Zalmi by six wickets.
The match saw a brilliant performance by Afghanistan’s opening batter, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who led United to victory with a score of 80-1 during the powerplay.
Gurbaz scored an unbeatable 62 runs off just 31 balls, including seven boundaries and four maximums.
United had a shaky start, losing opening partner Colin Munro in the third over after scoring just nine runs.
However, Gurbaz’s powerful knock kept United in the game, and Rassie van der Dussen and Asif Ali contributed with 42 and 29 runs, respectively, to complete the chase for the two-time champions.
For Zalmi, Arshad, Jimmy Neesham, and Usman Qadir shared a wicket apiece.
Earlier, United dominated the show with the ball, with their senior pacer, Hassan Ali, boosting the team’s confidence by picking up quick wickets in the middle.
Zalmi’s skipper, Babar Azam, fought hard and scored an unbeaten 75 runs, including seven boundaries and a maximum.
However, with wickets falling at the other end, Peshawar managed to score 156-8 in 20 overs despite a quick start in the beginning.
Hassan struck thrice to put United in a commanding position after openers Babar and Mohammad Haris helped Peshawar make a strong start with a blistering 72-run partnership off 42 balls for the first wicket.
United’s skipper, Shadab Khan, struck to break the opening partnership and sent Haris back to the pavilion after scoring 40 runs in 21 balls.
Saim Ayub was the second batter to depart, as Islamabad’s emerging player, Mubasir Khan, delivered a sensational delivery to bowl him out for just three runs.
The best of United was yet to come, as pacer Hasan Ali, playing his first match of PSL 8, struck twice in his second over to put the two-time champions in a commanding position.
He sent Tom Kohler-Cadmore (1) and Rovman Powell (0) back to the pavilion. Just when Babar looked to form a partnership with Jimmy Neesham, the right-arm pacer struck again, dismissing the New Zealander with a short delivery.
In summary, the match saw a strong performance from United’s opening batter, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who scored an unbeatable 62 runs off just 31 balls.
The team also dominated the show with the ball, with senior pacer Hassan Ali picking up three quick wickets. Despite Zalmi’s skipper, Babar Azam’s unbeaten 75 runs, United managed to secure a six-wicket victory.
