PSL 2017, Match 9: Peshawar Zalmi v Quetta Gladiators called off due to rain

The rain gods seem to be loving the Peshawar Zalmi. The inaugural match of the PSL 2017 where the Zalmi played Islamabad United at Dubai was a rain curtailed effort. The result did not go in the favor of the Peshawar franchise then. Now, the action moved to Sharjah for the 9th match of the season. The Zalmi’s were up against the Quetta Gladiators. The rain gods decided to play hide and seek for a little while before eventually subsiding. However, the interference reduced the match to a 16-over-a-side encounter. The fortunes still did not turn entirely in the favor of the Zalmi’s.

Coming into the game, both teams had contrasting fortunes. The Gladiators were beaten by Islamabad United on Wednesday and the Peshawar Zalmi had managed to win their previous match against the Lahore Qalandars narrowly. On the day, it was Sarfraz Ahmed for Quetta Gladiators who won the toss and opted to field first. The star-studded team boasted of T20 specialists like Kevin Pietersen, Rilee Rossouw, Thisara Perera and Mahmudullah. Tymal Mills was rested from the game. The Zalmi went in with the overseas combination of Eoin Morgan, Shakib Al Hasan, Darren Sammy and Tamim Iqbal.

Tamim Iqbal and Mohammad Hafeez walked in to open the innings for Zalmi. The poor run of form with the bat continued for veteran batsman Hafeez. He struggled for his 19-ball 16 before being dismissed by Mahmudullah in the 6th over. Another veteran batsman, Kamran Akmal, replaced him. His story in the season has been no different, if not worse. He was sent back on a duck by Hasan Khan in the very next over. This brought the senior batsman Eoin Morgan to the crease.

Morgan (1) had a rare failure on the day. What went worse for him was the fact that he got out to the part-time bowling of Rossouw. With three quick wickets in space of 9 deliveries, Tamim Iqbal was left with the task of taking Zalmi out of troubled waters. He did exactly that and was well supported by Sohaib Maqsood. Both the batsmen added 75 runs in 53 deliveries to see Peshawar Zalmi finish with 117/3 in their 16 overs.

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En route the unbeaten 4th wicket stand, Tamim reached his first fifty of the PSL this year. He remained unbeaten on 62 off 46 deliveries with 4 fours and as many sixes. Maqsood, on the other hand, managed to remain not out on 30 off 24 balls with 2 fours and a six. Only Zulfiqar Babar and Anwar Ali from the Quetta Gladiators bowling line up were taken for aplenty. Babar gave away 37 runs in his 4 overs with 5 wides. Ali leaked 22 in his 2 overs.

The rains intervened again and the run chase had to be delayed. The target was revised to 55 runs in 6 overs for the Gladiators. Just when the batsmen walked in to bat, the clouds erupted yet again. This time, the officials called off the match. The match became only the second instance of a match yielding no result at Sharjah in the history of the game. Both the teams shared a point each.

Brief Scores: No Result

Peshawar Zalmi 117/3 in 16 overs (Tamim 62*, Maqsood 30*, Hasan 1/8, Rossouw, 1/8)