Maaz stars on debut as Zalmi crush United

KARACHI: Peshawar Zalmi handed Islamabad United their second defeat of the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) 10 with a convincing six-wicket win at Gaddafi Stadium, thanks to stellar performances from Maaz Sadaqat and skipper Babar Azam.

Chasing a modest total, Zalmi lost three wickets inside the powerplay and found themselves in a tricky situation but that’s when Sadaqat and Babar stitched together a 100-plus partnership and made light work of the target.

Sadaqat was calm and composed at the crease on his PSL debut, pacing his innings beautifully while Babar did what he does best. However, Mayers struck back immediately, dismissing Owen on the next delivery and bringing captain Babar Azam to the crease alongside Saim Ayub.

Ben Dwarshuis struck in the following over, removing Saim Ayub for just one, leaving Zalmi in early trouble at 12-2 after 1.2 overs.Babar Azam and Mohammad Haris then added 26 runs for the third wicket before Haris was dismissed by Riley Meredith for 13 off 12 balls.

Zalmi found stability as Babar and debutant Maaz Sadaqat stitched together a crucial 50-run stand for the fourth wicket, taking the team to 93-3 by the end of the 12th over.

Maaz played a sensational knock in his first PSL outing, reaching a well-earned half-century and accelerating the chase alongside his captain.

Babar Azam also brought up his 35th PSL fifty in style, maintaining a solid anchor role throughout the innings.With just four runs needed to win, Naseem Shah returned to the attack and broke the 100-run partnership by dismissing Maaz for a brilliant 55 off 33 balls.

However, Zalmi completed the chase in the 17th over, with Babar finishing unbeaten on 53 off 49 deliveries, and Max Bryant hitting the winning runs. Earlier, Islamabad United posted a total of 143 for 9 in their allotted 20 overs, with a late fireworks from Ben Dwarshuis helping them recover after a batting collapse against Peshawar Zalmi.Opting to bat first, Islamabad United made a promising start, with openers Sahibzada Farhan and Kyle Mayers providing early momentum.

The duo built a solid 50-run partnership, taking the attack to Zalmi’s bowlers with an aggressive approach.However, Zalmi broke through after the powerplay when pacer Ahmed Daniyal dismissed Farhan for 36 off 35 balls, leaving United at 58-1 in 8.4 overs.

In the very next over, Mohammad Ali struck, removing Mayers for 18 off 18 deliveries, reducing Islamabad to 62-2 in 9.1 overs. Zalmi continued to make inroads as spinner Saim Ayub removed Agha Salman, who managed just four off seven balls in the 11th over.

Captain Shadab Khan then looked to counterattack, hitting consecutive boundaries alongside Colin Munro as the pair added 22 runs for the fourth wicket.However, both were dismissed in quick succession.