Zalmi crush Qalandars by 10 wickets

SHARJAH: Peshawar Zalmi won by 10 wickets against Lahore Qalandars in 13.4 overs at Sharjah International Stadium on Saturday.

Zalmi openers, Kamran Akmal and Tamim Iqbal, completed the chase for the Muhammad Hafeez-led men in yellow. Akmal scored 57, while his Bangladeshi partner played a knock of 37 runs.

In what could be called the continuation of shambolic batting collapse of Qalandars, only five if its players managed to enter in double figures. Liam Dawson and Hasan Ali took three wickets each, Wahab Riaz bagged two, while Sameen Gul got one wicket.

Earlier, Lahore Qalandars won the toss and elected to bat. Qalandars, with their trademark style, started their innings on a high note. Skipper Brendon McCullum was the first to be dismissed after giving an easy deflected catch to fast bowler Hasan Ali. The first wicket for Qalandars fell on the score of 42 in 4.4 overs, and then there was a queue of wickets, ending the innings on 100 runs in 18th over.

Opener Fakhar Zaman hit two sixes and four boundaries before departing after being caught on mid-on by Hasan Ali on the ball of LA Dawson. Zaman left the crease on the score of 30 runs off 17 balls. On the very next ball Dawson took the wicket of Dinesh Ramdin on an LBW. Agha Salman (13) was dismissed by Sameen Gul in the ninth over. Middle-order batsman Sohail Akhtar (12) got out on the first ball of the tenth over. For Lahore Qalandars, the nightmare is only worsening: they are still searching for their first win of this tournament after five straight losses in all five of their games so far.