PSL X: Karachi Kings defeat Peshawar Zalmi in low scoring thriller

• Luke Wood takes 3 wickets, Ali Raza secures 2.
• Kings rise to second position on table with 6 points.
• Next match to be played between Multan, Lahore.
  

Karachi Kings defeated Peshawar Zalmi by two wickets courtesy of David Warner's half-century and Khushdil Shah's crucial innings of 23 runs in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 10's low-scoring thriller played at the National Bank Stadium, Karachi, on Monday.

Set to chase a modest 148-run target on a challenging surface, the 2020 champions knocked the winning runs on the third delivery of the final over as Hasan Ali smashed Hussain Talat for a boundary on the leg side.

The home side, however, got off to the worst possible start to the run chase as their opening batter Tim Seifert fell for a golden duck on the first delivery of the innings, courtesy of a well-crafted in-swinger by Luke Wood.

The Kings suffered another blow to their pursuit as Wood struck again in his next over to dismiss his compatriot James Vince, who could score 11 off nine deliveries.

Warner then found notable support from the other end in the form of Saad Baig (nine) and the duo forged a crucial 23-run partnership until young Ali Raza got rid of the emerging batter.

The skipper was then involved in three important partnerships with Muhammad Irfan Khan (10), Mohammad Nabi (14) and Khushdil Shah before eventually getting dismissed by Wood in the 17th over when Kings needed a further 29 runs from 21 deliveries.

Warner remained the top-scorer for the Kings with a 47-ball 60, laced with eight fours.

Following his dismissal, the Kings lost two more wickets in quick succession and were eventually reduced to 133/8 in 18.1 overs.

But, Khushdil held his nerves calm and guided Kings to a tense victory with an unbeaten 23 off 17 deliveries with the help of three boundaries.

Wood was the standout bowler for Zalmi, picking up three wickets for just 28 runs in his four overs, followed by Ali Raza, who claimed two, while Arif Yaqoob and Alzarri Joseph dismissed one batter apiece.

Put into bat first on a challenging surface, Zalmi’s batting unit could accumulate 147/8 in their allotted 20 overs despite skipper Babar Azam’s gutsy knock.

The visitors got off to a shaky start to their innings as their dynamic opener Saim Ayub walked back in the third over after scoring a mere four.

Following the early hiccup, skipper Babar put together a one-sided partnership with Tom Kohler-Cadmore, who could score seven off six deliveries before getting dismissed by Khushdil Shah in the seventh over.

The star batter was then involved in another crucial partnership for Zalmi when he added 31 runs for the third wicket with Mohammad Haris before finally falling victim to Khushdil.

Babar remained the top-scorer for Zalmi with a 41-ball 46, which featured seven boundaries.

Experienced Hussain Talat then joined Haris in the middle and attempted to force recovery.

The duo batted sensibly to add 37 runs for the fourth wicket until Talat was outfoxed by Aamir Jamal’s slower delivery and walked back after scoring 18 off 16 deliveries with the help of three boundaries.

His dismissal sparked a collapse, which saw Zalmi losing four more wickets in quick succession, including that of their set batter Haris, and were thus eventually reduced to 136/8 in 19 overs.

Haris remained a notable run-getter for Zalmi with a 21-ball 28, featuring four boundaries.

For Kings, Abbas and Khushdil took three wickets each, while Jamal and Mir Hamza made one scalp apiece.

The two-wicket victory helped Karachi Kings to replace Lahore Qalandars to secure second position in the PSL 10 standings as they now have six points after five matches, while Peshawar Zalmi remained fourth.

PLAYING XIs

Karachi Kings: Tim Seifert(w), David Warner(c), James Vince, Saad Baig, Khushdil Shah, Irfan Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Aamer Jamal, Abbas Afridi, Hasan Ali and Mir Hamza.

Peshawar Zalmi: Babar Azam (c), Saim Ayub, Mohammad Haris (wk), Tom-Kohler Cadmore, Hussain Talat, Mitch Owen, Abdul Samad, Luke Wood, Alzari Joseph, Arif Yaqoob and Ali Raza.