Quetta Gladiators made a resounding start to their Pakistan Super League (PSL) campaign with an 80-run victory over Peshawar Zalmi on Saturday, bowling them out for just 136 in pursuit of a daunting 217-run target.
Zalmi's chase began on the back foot as pacer Mohammad Amir struck early, dismissing captain Babar Azam for a duck. The prized wicket came courtesy of a sharp catch by Rilee Rossouw at short extra cover.
Mohammad Haris showed brief resistance with a pair of boundaries, but leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed turned the game firmly in Quetta’s favour. The mystery spinner removed Haris and Tom Kohler-Cadmore on successive deliveries, reducing Zalmi to a precarious 30-3.
Saim Ayub, returning from injury, partnered with Hussain Talat to rebuild the innings. The duo added 63 runs for the fourth wicket, briefly shifting momentum. Talat was particularly aggressive, taking 19 runs off a single over from Shoaib Malik.
With the score at 93, Usman Tariq made a decisive impact. The right-arm pacer dismissed Talat, who struck 35 off 19, and Max Bryant on consecutive deliveries, halting Zalmi's progress.
Saim reached a composed half-century off 37 balls but was soon caught by Kyle Jamieson, and Alzarri Joseph ran out the next batter off the following delivery, deepening Zalmi’s collapse.
Mitchell Owen offered late resistance with a flurry of sixes off Abrar, scoring a quickfire 31 from 13 balls, but it was not enough to salvage the innings. Zalmi were bowled out in the 16th over.
Abrar was named Player of the Match for his four-wicket haul, while Tariq and Amir claimed two wickets each.
Earlier, Openers Finn Allen and captain Saud Shakeel laid the foundation with a blazing stand, while later contributions from Hasan Nawaz, Rilee Rossouw, and Kusal Mendis propelled Quetta to one of their highest-ever PSL totals.
Opting to bat first, the Gladiators made their intentions clear from the outset. Shakeel and New Zealand’s Allen tore into the Zalmi attack, racing to 67 without loss inside the six-over powerplay.
Allen was particularly brutal in the seventh over, plundering 23 runs off left-arm spinner Sufiyan Muqeem and registering a half-century on his PSL debut. However, Muqeem struck back with the final ball of the over, ending the 88-run partnership as Allen departed for a scintillating 53 off just 25 deliveries.
Shakeel pressed on with support from Hasan Nawaz, reaching his third PSL fifty off 35 balls. The pair added 63 for the second wicket before Shakeel fell to young seamer Ali Raza for 59, with the scoreboard reading 151-2 in the 16th over.
Nawaz followed soon after, dismissed by West Indies pacer Alzarri Joseph for 41, as Quetta found themselves at 158-3.
Rilee Rossouw and Kusal Mendis then took the innings home with a flurry of boundaries. Mendis smashed 35 off just 14 balls, while Rossouw added a brisk unbeaten 21 from 10 deliveries to help Gladiators close on 216.
Peshawar’s bowling unit struggled for breakthroughs and control throughout the innings. Muqeem, Joseph, and Raza picked up a wicket apiece but failed to stem the flow of runs.
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