ISLAMABAD – Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by five wickets in the first eliminator match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) seventh edition 2022 at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on Thursday.
Playing first, Peshawar Zalmi set a 170-run target for Islamabad United. Chasing the target, Islamabad United won the match in 19.3 overs at the loss of five wickets.
Earlier, Yellow storm Peshawar Zalmi won the toss and decided to bat first.
In the ongoing cricket carnival, both squads have played two matches, with each team winning one game.
Beautiful work by both teams but it is the @IsbUnited squad that took the game away 💪🏼 #HBLPSL7 l #LevelHai l #PZvIU pic.twitter.com/A1noN8vv2p
— PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) February 24, 2022
Today’s winning squad will face Lahore Qalandars, while the losing team will be eliminated from the seventh edition of the flagship cricket tournament.
Wahab Riaz led unit ended the group stage in third place on the points table with 12 points. Their last three results include two wins and a defeat. The franchise has been impressive throughout the season, winning six of their ten games.
24 hours to go.
🆚 Islamabad United
⏰ 7:30 PM
🏟 Gaddafi Stadium.Inspired by the Netflix series ‘Money Heist’ © #peshawarzalmi | #aayazalmi | #psl7 pic.twitter.com/mEDJHqF0iJ
— Peshawar Zalmi (@PeshawarZalmi) February 23, 2022
Seasoned player Shoaib Malik displayed dazzling cricket as he scored 346 runs at an impressive average of 43.25. Skipper Wahab Riaz and Salman Irshad also played decisive roles with the ball.
On the other hand, Islamabad United qualified for the playoffs in fourth place, passing Sarfraz led Quetta Gladiators with a very thin margin.
The injury-hit franchise entered the series with a bang but they lost their last three games, and lack momentum heading into this all-important Eliminator 1 clash.
Meanwhile, United’s power hitter Alex Hales has surprisingly returned and it is said to be a boost to them in the playoffs.
🚨 A BIG MATCH 🚨
🏏 Eliminator 1
🆚 @PeshawarZalmi
🏟️ Gaddafi Stadium Lahore
⌚️ 7:00 PMYour #Sherus are #ReadyToRoar. Remember your #RedHotSquad🦁 in your prayers 🙌#IUvPZ #HBLPSL7 #UnitedWeWin pic.twitter.com/ZAQYY8AfcN
— Islamabad United (@IsbUnited) February 23, 2022
Both squads will look to extend their stay in the competition by winning this game today.
PSL7, Qualifier 1: Multan Sultans beat Lahore Qalandars by 28 runs
Squads
Islamabad United: Colin Munro, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Alex Hales, Mohammad Akhlaq, Shadab Khan (c), Asif Ali, Azam Khan (wk), Liam Dawson, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Waqas Maqsood, Zeeshan Zameer
Peshawar Zalmi: Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Haris (wk), Haider Ali, Liam Livingstone, Shoaib Malik, Sherfane Rutherford, Ben Cutting, Wahab Riaz (c), Salman Irshad, Mohammad Umar, Amad Butt
PSL7, Match 29: Multan Sultans beat Islamabad United by 6 wickets
