Zalmi beat Kingsmen by four wickets in HBL PSL thriller

In a thrilling HBL PSL encounter, the Peshawar Zalmi defeated the Hyderabad Kingsmen by four wickets.

With the Zalmi needing 14 runs off the last over, Iftikhar Ahmed, who demonstrated all-round brilliance in the match, struck a four and a six, and Aamir Jamal then scored the winning run off the last ball to get the Zalmi past the finish line. Babar Azam scored a 37-ball 43.

The Kingsmen, who lost their fourth consecutive match, batted first and managed 145 with Kushal Pereira scoring 58. Zalmi spinners Iftikhar and Sufyan Muqeem obtained 8 wickets each, both remarkably achieving the feat of removing three batters in one over.

The match, played at Karachi's National Stadium, saw the Zalmi lose Muhammad Haaris in only the second over as he fell to Thakshane for 11. Babar Azam and Kushal Mendis, however, kept Peshawar on course for victory with a partnership of 49.

The Zalmi, however, then came under pressure as they lost 4 wickets for 21 runs. But then Iftikhar kept his nerve and, in combination with Aamir Jamal, kept the Zalmi chase on track. In a tense final over, he struck a boundary off Hunain Shah's first delivery and then cleared the ropes for a six on the fourth. At the end, he remained not out with 15 with Jamal unbeaten on six.