KARACHI: Islamabad United bowlers downed four wickets of Peshawar Zalmi for just 35 runs, destroying the opponents' top-order batting line in the fifth match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) at the National Stadium in Karachi.
Earlier, United won the toss and elected to bowl first against Zalmi.
United skipper Shadab Khan said that four Pakistani cricketers in the team are all in action in today's match.
Moreover, Peshawar Zalmi skipper Wahab Riaz has reunited with the squad after completing a mandatory isolation period for COVID-19.
The Yellow Storm had suffered a huge blow after their key players tested positive for coronavirus, forcing them to make changes to the playing XI before the first match on Friday.
Islamabad United and Peshawar Zalmi have so far faced each other 16 times in the entire PSL history. In this case, Zalmi have supremacy since they won eight out of 16 matches while United claimed victories in seven, as one of the matches had been abandoned.
Here at the National Stadium, both teams faced each other three times with Zalmi emerging victorious in two matches while United conquering their opposition once. It is the first match of Islamabad United in this event.
Earlier, the Zalmi did a marvellous job by conquering Gladiators by five wickets when they chased a 191-run target with just two balls to spare. Shoaib Malik (48*) and Hussain Talat (52) set up Zalmi’s win with their positive batting.
Islamabad United, who won the titles in 2016 and 2018, are a dangerous side on paper. They are being led by the country’s fine all-rounder Shadab Khan, who has a massive experience of playing in T20 leagues around the world.
Peshawar Zalmi: Wahab Riaz (c), Tom Kohler-Cadmore (wk), Yasir Khan, Haider Ali, Shoaib Malik, Hussain Talat, Sherfane Rutherford, Ben Cutting, Sohail Khan, Pat Brown, Usman Qadir.
Islamabad United: Shadab Khan (c), PR Stirling, AD Hales, Mubashir Khan Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Azam Khan (wk), Asif Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Wasim Jr., Hasan Ali, Marchant de Lange.
