'We were 10-15 runs short,' says Babar

Peshawar Zalmi captain Babar Azam shared his thoughts after his side suffered their third defeat in the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) 10, falling to 2020 champions Karachi Kings here at the National Bank Stadium on Monday.

Babar, while reflecting on his team's narrow two-wicket defeat in the post-match presentation, termed his dismissal the turning point of the match.

The star batter, who had registered three consecutive single-digit scores this season, was looking in good touch as he had mustered 46 runs off 40 deliveries with the help of seven boundaries until getting trapped lbw by Khushdil Shah.

"I got out at the wrong time and the momentum shifted after that," said Babar.

Babar's untimely dismissal in the 10th over was followed by a fall of wickets at regular intervals, which halted the flow of runs and eventually resulted in Zalmi getting curtailed to 147/8.

"Think we were 10-15 runs short. It's a bit difficult for new batters to get going. Our plan was also for one batter to bat deep just like Warner did for them but then their new batters found it difficult," Babar said.

Babar Azam then went on to claim that his team's bowling unit has started to settle before vowing to rectify their mistakes and make a strong comeback in the coming matches.

"Our bowling combination is getting settled now. We will try to work on our mistakes and come back stronger," Babar concluded.

2017 champions Zalmi, who are fourth in the PSL 10 standings with two points in four matches, next face two-time champions Lahore Qalandars on Thursday.

Jamal fined

Karachi Kings' fast bowler Aamer Jamal has been fined five percent of his match fee for a Level 1 breach of the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) Code of Conduct during their match against Peshawar Zalmi at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi on Monday night.

Aamer was found guilty of violating Article 2.5 of the HBL PSL Code of Conduct.

The clause relates to "using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon his/her dismissal during a match."

The incident took place in the 15th over of the first innings when Aamer, after dismissing Hussain Talat, walked up to the batter and made a provocative remark.

Following the incident, Aamer pleaded guilty to the charge and accepted the penalty proposed by the match referee, Iftikhar Ahmed. As a result, a formal hearing was not required.

The charges were laid by on-field umpires Faisal Khan Afridi and Paul Reiffel.

Such behavior falls under Level 1 offences, which are considered minor breaches of the code, but players are still expected to uphold the spirit of the game.