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Babar Azam (Player of the match and Peshawar Zalmi captain) - We were not expecting that the pitch will turn so much. But when it started to spin, we thought that 150-160 would be a good total on this surface. As a player, you always want to perform in every tournament and keep improving. I wanted to make sure that I kept improving and focused more on team needs rather than individual goals. Credit to the boys, they played really well. Saim Ayub was really good, he is not a full-time spinner but he put Karachi under a lot of pressure today. I had prepared but did not get the chance (on being asked about if he would have bowled today).
Shan Masood (Karachi Kings Captain) - We targeted the 5th win today, we wanted to win at least half the games but it wasn't to be for us. We've had two close games in Karachi, one against Quetta and one today. I will go back to when we were on a bit of a roll - won 2 out of the first 3 games but then were hit by a stomach bug. A lot of chopping and changing after that didn't help, we lost the next 3 matches. Made a good comeback by winning the next 2 but then some results don't go your way. I could not score the runs I should have. Really thankful to the franchise, we lost someone really close. Would like to thank the crowds for turning up. All the best to the teams participating in the playoffs!
Daren Sammy, Peshawar Zalmi Head Coach: This feels very good, to qualify for the Qualifier was our first objective. Every year we say our first objective is to finish in the top four. Credit to the boys the way they went out and played, in a crucial game here, it's good to finish at the top of the table. The wicket has been assisting the spinners, we knew they were going to bowl well, Naveen looked good, all the seamers... Aamer Jamal held his nerve at the end. That's the hallmark of the Zalmi, we're so happy to qualify for the top two. The first game our team played here. The information we gathered from here can help us going forward - 150, 160 on this wicket is a winning total.
MATCH SUMMARY
Peshawar Zalmi won by 2 runs
Babar Azam 51(46) | Naveen ul Haq 2/23(4) Tim Seifert 41(30) | Arafat Minhas 1/11(4)
Peshawar Zalmi hold their nerves and book their spot in the first qualifier as they end their league phase with a hard fought win over Karachi Kings by just a mere 2 runs. They have defended the lowest total at Karachi in PSL history as they move to the top of the table.
The chase of 148 started off on a good note for the Karachi Kings. Their openers, Tim Seifert and James Vince, were slow to get off the blocks but then broke free towards the later half of the powerplay.
They were looking good but as soon as the first wicket fell in the form of Vince, Peshawar Zalmi tightened the screws on the home team. They kept chipping away at the wickets and reduced Karachi from 0/61 to 3/68.
Irfan Niazi and Shoaib Malik got together for a crucial partnership and it looked like they will get it done for Karachi Kings. But then, Naveen ul Haq returned in the 18th over and dismissed Shoaib Malik. Luke Wood bowled some exceptional death overs as well and eventually Peshawar got over the line.
Earlier in the piece, a half-century from Babar Azam and a quick fire 30 from Rovman Powell took Peshawar to a decent score of 147. The spinners from Karachi Kings, particularly the debutant Minhas, bowled well and troubled the Peshawar batters in the middle overs after they had gone through the powerplay wicketless.
20
overs
145/5score
2
2
4
4
1
1b
runs
Irfan Khan*
39(26)
Anwar Ali
14(6)
Aamir Jamal I
1/38
19.6 Aamer Jamal to Irfan Khan Niazi, the Peshawar Zalmi will have two bites at the final! Jamal nails the yorker this time - he goes full around leg stump, Niazi, having given himself a lot of room, fails to get bat on it, Haris gathers and holds on to it as the batters can only gather a bye. Jamal continues his follow through all the way to the boundary ropes and poses for the cameras as the rest of his team rush towards him - absolutely cock-a-hoop! A forgettable campaign comes to an end for the Karachi Kings - they lose their final match of 2024 by 2 runs!
Big discussion going on between the bowler, skipper Babar and Powell, the field has been bought up on the off-side
19.5 Aamer Jamal to Anwar Ali, banged in on a short of length around off stump, Anwar moved across his stumps looking to smash this out the ground, ended up miscuing it towards short mid wicket. Just a single - Niazi will face the final ball with 4 needed off it!
Back-to-back boundaries for Anwar Ali, he won't mind how they have come, 5 needed off 2 now