Twitter Reactions: David Miller and Peshawar Zalmi keep Quetta Gladiators at the bottom
The Zalmi made a recovery after being reduced to 22 for two in the first six overs.
On Saturday, June 12, Quetta Gladiators slumped to their sixth defeat in seven matches in the ongoing edition of the PSL. The team, led by Sarfaraz Ahmed, lost to the Peshawar Zalmi by 61 runs. With a net run rate of -1.865, the Gladiators need a miracle to qualify for the playoffs. The Zalmi, on the other hand, recovered from their 10-run defeat at the hands of the in-form Lahore Qalandars.
Miller and Akmal revive Peshawar Zalmi
The Zalmi made a horrendous start as Haider Ali and Shoaib Malik perished to Mohammad Nawaz inside the first three overs. In the mandatory powerplay, they scored only 22 runs. However, Kamran Akmal and David Miller, instead of giving up the ghost, stepped on the gas. The duo stitched together a partnership of 125 runs for the second wicket off 12 overs to bring the Zalmi back into the game.
Miller started the acceleration after which Akmal joined in. Mohammad Hasnain separated the duo, removing Akmal, who was batting on a 37-ball 59 with six fours and two sixes. Two overs later, Khurram Shahzad castled Miller after the latter hammered his way to a 46-ball 73 with six fours and four sixes. Rovman Powell’s unbeaten 19-ball 43 with one four and five sixes meant that the Zalmi notched 197 in 20 overs.
Gladiators go down
In the first innings, the Gladiators were dealt with a blow after Faf du Plessis was ruled out due to concussion following a collision with Hasnain at the boundary while fielding. Saim Ayub, his concussion substitute, opened the batting with Usman Khan, but could only manage a 31-ball 35 before Mohammad Irfan dismissed him. Khan, on the other hand, got 28 runs after which Fabian Allen accounted for his wicket.
Barring Usman and Ayub, skipper Sarfaraz scored an unbeaten 28-ball 36. However, the trio didn’t get much support from the others. Though they played out 20 overs on a decent batting strip, they crawled to 136. For the Zalmi, Irfan was the standout bowler with three wickets. Wahab Riaz and Umaid Asif picked two wickets each. Mohammad Imran was also impressive with an economy of five.
Here’s how the netizens reacted to the match:
Download Our App