KARACHI: In the 23rd match of the Pakistan Super League, Peshawar Zalmi extended their winning streak by defeating Quetta Gladiators, securing their place in the playoff stage. The match took place at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi, where Peshawar Zalmi won the toss and elected to field first. Quetta Gladiators were bowled out for 154 runs in their allotted 20 overs.
Hassan Nawaz was the standout performer for Quetta, scoring 37 runs. Raylee Russo, playing in his 100th PSL match, contributed 26 runs, while Khawaja Nafi added 20 runs to the total.
For Peshawar Zalmi, Safyan Muqeem and Muhammad Basit were particularly effective with the ball, taking three wickets each, while Iftikhar Ahmed took one wicket.
Chasing a target of 155 runs, Peshawar Zalmi successfully reached it in the 19th over, losing only two wickets. Captain Babar Azam marked a significant milestone by scoring his 100th half-century in T20 cricket, remaining unbeaten on 71 runs. Other notable contributions came from Muhammad Haris, who scored 35 runs, and Kaushal Mendis, who added 21 runs. For Quetta, Al-Zari Joseph and Saud Shakeel each took one wicket.
Safyan Muqeem was named Player of the Match for his outstanding bowling performance. With this victory, Peshawar Zalmi climbed to the top of the points table and remains the only unbeaten team in the tournament so far.
