Van der Dussen’s Century Not Enough as Qalandars Fall Short
In a thrilling encounter at the Gaddafi Stadium, Rassie van der Dussen’s spectacular century went in vain as Lahore Qalandars fell short by nine runs against Peshawar Zalmi. This marked the Qalandars’ fifth consecutive loss in the ongoing PSL 9 season, while Zalmi secured back-to-back wins.
Van der Dussen’s Lone Battle
Van der Dussen’s unbeaten knock of 105 off 52 balls showcased his resilience, but it was a solitary effort with only small contributions from other Qalandars’ batters. Shai Hope made 29, and Ahsan Bhatti added 20 to the total. Despite Jahandad Khan’s attempt to assist Van der Dussen with 13 runs, the Qalandars finished at 203/6, unable to chase down the target of 212.
Pacer Naveen-ul-Haq Shines for Zalmi
Pacer Naveen-ul-Haq played a crucial role for Peshawar Zalmi, taking two wickets, while Paul Walter, Luke Wood, and Salman Irshad claimed one wicket each, restricting Qalandars’ chase.
Zalmi’s Dominant Batting Display
Opting to bat first, Peshawar Zalmi’s openers, Babar Azam and Ayub, set the tone with an aggressive opening partnership of 136 runs for the first wicket. Despite Azam’s departure for 48 runs, Ayub continued his splendid form, scoring 88 off 55 balls. Rovman Powell’s quick 46 and Mohammad Haris’ unbeaten 12 propelled Zalmi to a formidable total of 212.
Afridi Leads Qalandars’ Bowling Effort
Shaheen Afridi led the Qalandars’ bowling attack with figures of 3/33, disrupting Zalmi’s batting momentum. Jahandad Khan secured one wicket, but it wasn’t enough to prevent Zalmi from posting a challenging total.
