A brilliant batting display by Babar Azam and Tom Kohler-Cadmore followed by incisive bowling by Khurram Shahzad, James Neesham, and Wahab Riaz handed Peshawar Zalmi a two-run victory over Karachi Kings in the second game of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season eight.
Pursuing 200 runs, Karachi were restricted to 197/5 in the 20 overs, thanks to Khurram's last-over brilliance.
Chasing a gigantic total on a skiddy wicket, Karachi lost their firepower opener Sharjeel Khan in the second ball of the innings. Matthew Wade (23) showed some signs of aggression but was removed by Neesham in the sixth over.
Reeling on 44-4, skipper Imad Wasim (80*) and Shoaib Malik rebuilt the innings before changing gears in the second half to bring Karachi back into the game. The duo had added 133 runs for the fifth wicket when Malik got caught behind the wicket on Wahab Riaz's ball in the penultimate over.
With 16 runs to defend from the final over, Babar called rookie Khurram Shahzad to bowl, who nailed four perfect yorkers to keep the home side at bay and hand his side an important two-run win.
Wahab and Neesham took two wickets apiece for Zalmi.
PSL 2023 day 1 round-up: Zaman holds nerves to seal one-run win for Lahore Qalandars
First innings
Earlier, Babar Azam-led Peshawar decided to bat first on a skiddy wicket and posted an above-par 200-run target for home side Karachi Kings. After losing the first two wickets of Mohammad Haris (10) and Saim Ayub (1) early in the innings, Babar (68) and Tom Kohler-Cadmore (92) stitched together a brilliant 139-run stand for the third wicket, helping their side to reach 199/5 in the given 20 overs.
Points Table Update
With this win, Peshawar get two valuable points and join Lahore on the points table.
Next Fixtures
Fans will witness an exciting game between Multan Sultans and Quetta Gladiators at 7:30 pm on February 15. The match will be played at the Multan Cricket Stadium.
Past PSL Winners
PSL 2016 – Islamabad United
PSL 2017 – Peshawar Zalmi
PSL 2018 – Islamabad United
PSL 2019 – Quetta Gladiators
PSL 2020 – Karachi Kings
PSL 2021 – Multan Sultans
PSL 2022 - Lahore Qalandars