Peshawar Zalmi cruised to an easy victory against Lahore Qalandars after the latter set a mere 78-run target in the 6th match of the 2019 Pakistan Super League (PSL) at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
Lahore Qalandars innings
Zalmi had won the toss and decided to bowl first, leaving the Qalandars to set the match target.
The pair of Hasan Ali and Wahab Riaz was enough to send the Qalandars crumbling as they took four and three wickets respectively.
Ibtisam Shaikh claimed two and Kieron Pollard took one and provided the necessary support to send the side packing in 15.1 overs.
Devcich and De Villiers tried to rescue their squad by raking together 18 off 19 and 14 off 8 balls respectively but they were no match for the onslaught of the Zalmi bowlers.
Agha Salman who came in to bat at number six was the only other player to make a useful contribution by scoring 13 off 18 balls.
Haris Rauf was out for a duck, leaving Rahat Ali as the sole survivor before the team's innings were cut short.
Peshawar Zalmi innings
With a target of 79 runs off 180 balls, Zalmi were more than comfortable when they came to bat.
It took only five batsmen and 10.1 overs to achieve the target. Umar Amin was the top scorer with 61 runs off 39 balls. He set the scoreboard on fire by scoring 10 fours and one sixer to boot.
The side were 81/3 at the end of the speedy chase despite attempts by Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Rahat Ali who each took one wicket.
Hafeez absent hurt
Earlier, a press release issued by the Lahore Qalandars stated that skipper Mohammad Hafeez will be rested, a day after the all-rounder was injured in a match against Karachi Kings.
According to the statement, Hafeez was taken to the hospital following the match for scans and x-rays. He has been advised to rest for a few days and a timeline for his recovery will be known after further discussions with experts.
On Saturday, the Qalandars' bowling side near decimated their Karachi competition to secure an assertive victory by a 22-run margin in the fifth match of the series.
"Hafeez won’t be available for tonight’s game against Peshawar Zalmi but we are hopeful of his quick recovery," the press release issued today stated.
“He is being rested for today’s game but we expect him to be with us on dugout soon,” said Qalandars' manager Sameen Rana.
With the team's captain out, South African batsman AB de Villiers lead the Qalandars.
Line-ups
Qalandars: AB (capt), Fakhar, Akhtar, Devich, Agha, Taylor (wk), Viljoen, Hassan Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Rauf, Rahat
Zalmi: Kamran (wk), Imam, Amin, Madson, Pollard, Dawson, Sammy (capt), Wahab, Hasan Ali, Asif, Shaikh