Peshawar Zalmi defeated Quetta Gladiators by 24 runs

 Quetta Gladiators failed to chase the target of 187 runs in an important match 

Peshawar Zalmi defeated Quetta Gladiators by 24 runs in a crucial match of PSL-7 at Qaddafi stadium Lahore. Peshawar Zalmi has increased its chances to qualify for the playoffs. Chasing a huge 186-run target, Gladiators batters failed to play a huge knock with Jason Roy departing for 13, James Vince got out for a duck. Apart from Smeed, it was Sarfraz Ahmed who scored 25 and forged a 53-run stand with Smeed.

Iftikhar Ahmed scored 10, while Umar Akmal managed to score just one. Smeed was the lone fighter in the chase who scored 99 runs. No other batsman was able to stay at the crease to support Smeed.

He took the game deep as the 17th over of Salman Irshad was going well with two fours, but the turning point came when Salman took his wicket on the last ball of his over as Smeed remained just one run shy of a much deserving century.

Leg spinner Usman Qadir was the pick of the bowler for Zalmi with brilliant figures of 3-25 in four overs. Another spinner Liam Livingstone picked 1-24 in four overs, while Wahab, Talat, and Salman also took one wicket each.

Earlier, Zalmi handed a 185-run total for the loss of seven wickets in 20 overs courtesy of Shoaib Malik and Hussain Talat's fifties and late hitting by Ben Cutting in a fiery 36-run knock. Zalmi skipper Wahab Riaz had won the toss and elected to bat first, but Quetta's pacer Naseem Shah did the early damage with two wickets in one over of Hazratullah Zazai and Liam Livingstone to leave Zalmi at 2-6. 

Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Haris forged a 52-run stand to hold the inning, while Malik showed his class and experience during the 58 run inning of 41 balls with eight fours. He also laid a good 73-run stand with Hussain Talat who also played well.

While in the late over, cutting launched an onslaught with four sixes and one four in a blistering 36 run innings off just 14 balls. Naseem was brilliant with the bowl as he registered figures of 4-27 in four overs, Shahzad, Iftikhar, and Mudassar took one wicket each.

Naseem was brilliant with the bowl as he registered figures of 4-27 in four overs, Shahzad, Iftikhar, and Mudassar took one wicket each.

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