MULTAN: The strong bowling line, followed by a solid 49-run knock from Saim Ayub, powered Peshawar Zalmi to a convincing seven-wicket win over bottom-placed Multan Sultans in the 25th match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 10 at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Monday.
Zalmi reached the finish line with 42 balls to spare, losing just three wickets while chasing 109. This win marked their fourth of the season, moving them closer to fourth-placed Lahore Qalandars. The chase began on a shaky note as Mitchell Owen fell for one in the first over. Ayub anchored the innings with a 33-ball 49, featuring four boundaries and three sixes, before falling to Shahid Aziz, who also dismissed Babar Azam for eight. Paul Bryant saw Zalmi home with an unbeaten 38 off 20 balls, supported by Mohammad Haris (7*), as the duo added 40 runs for the fourth wicket.
After opting to bat first, Multan Sultans were bundled out for just 108 in 19.1 overs. They lost both openers, Yasir Khan (10) and skipper Mohammad Rizwan (17), during the power-play. A brief counterattack from Tayyab Tahir (22 off 18) was short-lived, and after his dismissal, the batting order crashed. Shai Hope top-scored with 23 off 21, while David Willey managed 8. Hasnain added a late 11 but was the last to fall. Ahmed Daniyal starred with the ball, taking 3 for 17, while Maaz Sadaqat and Luke Wood claimed two each. Saim Ayub, Alzarri Joseph, and Ali Raza took one apiece.
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