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Karachi Kings Triumph Over Peshawar Zalmi with Pollard's Key Contribution

by CricDirect Staff Wednesday 21 February 2024

Karachi Kings celebrate a wicket

©PSL

Karachi Kings secured their maiden victory of HBL PSL 9 by triumphing over Peshawar Zalmi with a commanding seven-wicket win at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on Wednesday afternoon.

Hasan Ali and Mir Hamza starred with the ball, each claiming three wickets to restrict Zalmi to 154 in their innings.

Opting to bowl first, Karachi Kings got off to an ideal start as Shoaib Malik struck early, dismissing Saim Ayub for a golden duck in the first over. Babar Azam then made history by becoming the fastest and youngest batter to reach 10,000 T20 runs in just 271 innings. Despite Mohammad Nawaz leaking runs, Zalmi attempted a recovery before Mohammad Haris fell to Kieron Pollard. Zalmi continued to struggle, losing wickets at regular intervals, with Babar Azam's brilliant fifty being the highlight of their innings.

In response, Karachi Kings got off to a solid start with Shan and Muhammad Akhlaq piling on the pressure. However, Luke Wood struck twice in quick succession to remove both openers. James Vince and Shoaib steadied the ship with a crucial partnership before Pollard's explosive innings turned the tide in Kings' favor. Pollard's blistering knock, supported by Vince's steady contributions, ensured Karachi Kings chased down the target with ease, sealing the win with seven wickets in hand and 19 balls to spare.

Pollard's unbeaten 49 off 21 balls, featuring four boundaries and as many maximums, earned him the top scorer title for Karachi Kings, while Wood and Waqar Salamkheil impressed with the ball for Peshawar Zalmi.

Match Summary

Karachi Kings vs Peshawar Zalmi, 6th Match

Karachi Kings 157/3 (16.5 ov)

Peshawar Zalmi 154/10 (19.5 ov)

Karachi Kings won by 7 wickets

SCORECARD

Match Stats

Peshawar Zalmi Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Saim Ayub - 0.1 ov), 2-26 (Mohammad Haris - 3.1 ov), 3-40 (Tom Kohler-Cadmore - 5.1 ov), 4-108 (Rovman Powell - 12.5 ov), 5-136 (Asif Ali - 16.2 ov), 6-140 (Aamir Jamal I - 17.2 ov), 7-147 (Babar Azam - 17.6 ov), 8-148 (Mohammad Zeeshan - 18.3 ov), 9-154 (Luke Wood - 19.3 ov), 10-154 (Waqar Salamkheil - 19.5 ov)

Karachi Kings Fall of wickets: 1-20 (Shan Masood - 2.2 ov), 2-40 (Muhammad Akhlaq - 4.3 ov), 3-91 (Shoaib Malik - 12.1 ov)

Playing XI

Karachi Kings