Rawalpindi (Web Desk): Quetta Gladiators defeated Peshawar Zalmi by 80 runs in the second match of the tenth season of Pakistan Super League (PSL 10) at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Saturday.
Setting a daunting target of 217 after being put in to bat, Quetta’s top order fired from the get-go. Finn Allen, on debut, played with fearless intent, launching into Zalmi’s bowling with a flurry of boundaries. He brought up his first PSL half-century in style, smashing 23 runs in a single over from Sufiyan Muqeem, before the young spinner managed to dismiss him for a lively 53 off just 25 balls. Saud Shakeel, steady and composed at the other end, crafted a fluent 59, his third PSL fifty, forming a vital 63-run stand with Hasan Nawaz, who chipped in with a handy 41 off 32 balls.
The late-innings blitz came courtesy of Rilee Rossouw and Kusal Mendis, whose unbeaten 58-run partnership propelled the Gladiators to a hefty 216 for 3. Mendis was especially brutal, hammering 35 from just 14 deliveries, while Rossouw added a quickfire 21.
In response, Peshawar Zalmi crumbled under the weight of the chase. Hopes of a strong start vanished when skipper Babar Azam was sent back for a duck in the opening over, courtesy of a clever setup by veteran pacer Mohammad Amir.
Although Saim Ayub and Mohammad Haris stitched together a brief resistance, mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed turned the game on its head in the fourth over. He removed Haris for 13 and then trapped Tom Kohler-Cadmore for a golden duck, leaving Zalmi reeling at 30 for 3.
Saim Ayub showed some grit, carving out his eighth PSL half-century while attempting to revive the innings alongside Hussain Talat. Their 60-run partnership offered a glimmer of hope, but Usman Tariq’s timely double-strike — removing Talat for a brisk 35 and then dismissing Max Bryant for a duck — swung the momentum firmly back to Quetta. Once Saim Ayub was dismissed by Kyle Jamieson in the 12th over, the innings unraveled rapidly.
A sharp direct hit from Sean Abbott caught Alzarri Joseph short, and Abrar returned to mop up the lower order with ease. He claimed the scalps of Sufiyan Muqeem and Mohammad Ali in quick succession, both failing to trouble the scorers, completing a well-earned four-wicket haul. Mohammad Amir closed the chapter with the wicket of Mitchell Owen, ending the innings at 136 all out in just 13.3 overs.
It was a complete performance from Quetta — explosive at the top, clinical at the death, and devastating with the ball. For Zalmi, despite Saim Ayub’s fighting fifty, the collapse was swift and brutal, and their bowlers had no answers to Quetta’s relentless charge. A night to remember for the Gladiators, and one to forget for Babar and his men.
