Player of the Match
Player of the Match

Well, that's that from ESPNcricinfo's live coverage of Match 2. I hope you enjoyed our watch tonight. Don't forget to tune back in for the PSL 2022 double-header tomorrow. From Momin, Raghav, and rest of the commentary team, goodbye and goodnight!

Shoaib Malik: "We didn't commence things particularly well but as a captain I have to back my bowlers. Fielding is one department that we need to enhance because in a format like T20, there is not enough margin for error. Naseem Shah was terrific tonight. It's really good to see our young pacers excelling and employing clever variations in their armory.

Sarfraz Ahmed: "We were definitely some runs short because we didn't finish as well as we would have liked. Naseem Shah bowled exceptionally well and I am happy that our top-order batted brilliantly tonight. Hopefully we can improve on the things we have lacked tonight in the upcoming matches."

Will Smeed is the player of the match. "I am lucky to be out there and I am happy that I have made the most of this opportunity. It is a wonderful chance for me to improve my game against the slower bowlers in conditions that are quite different than from where I come. I'll take a lot of confidence from this knock going forward."

Presentations coming up in a bit

Yasser : "PZ 10- QG 08 head to head in all HBL PSL. Except for the 2017 final where many of the foreign players refused to visit Pakistan all the other games were nail-biters. Great to see these two teams showing the spirit"

Sarat : "Even though score card says, Zalmi chased it with only 2 balls left, at no point in the chase they looked like struggling. Wrong rotation of bowling by Sarfraz? "

Mariam: "Quetta being 155/0 at one point and then only scoring 190, feel like they were atleast 20 runs short here. Brilliant game though!"

11.30 PM: A real captain's knock from Shoaib Malik, if you may. He came in just at the rear-end of the powerplay and lost Haider Ali a couple of overs later. Loitered in the background as Hussain Talat went about his work in the middle overs and then unleashed his ball-striking in the dying overs of the game to get his team over the line. Peshawar Zalmi got off to a flyer courtesy a breezy knock from Yasir Khan and there were handy contributions throughout that batting line-up. Mohammad Nawaz scalped three preys but was a touch on the expensive side as well, going for 11 runs an over. Naseem Shah was quite impressive but the Gladiators needed more from their bowlers during the middle phases and their spinners couldn't provide the impetus once the Talat-Malik partnership began blossoming.

19.4
1
Naseem Shah to Shoaib Malik, 1 run, Fired in the blockhole, Malik languidly nudges it into the on-side and seals the game for Peshawar Zalmi

Goes round the wicket

19.3
2
Naseem Shah to Shoaib Malik, 2 runs, Length ball, middle and leg, Malik sits back and swats it in front of deep midwicket, scampers back for a couple
19.2
0
Naseem Shah to Shoaib Malik, no run, Back of a length, looks to carve it fine but misses out!

Ben Cutting into the middle now

19.1
W
Naseem Shah to Rutherford, OUT, Straight down long-on's throat! Fuller delivery, looks to smother it downtown but miscues it, Nawaz runs in to take a wonderful catch inches from the turf.

SE Rutherford c Mohammad Nawaz b Naseem Shah 10 (9b 2x4 0x6) SR: 111.11

19.1
1w
Naseem Shah to Rutherford, 1 wide, Slower bouncer but it's banged in way too short, Rutherford ducks under it

END OF OVER:
19 | 22 Runs | PZ: 187/4 (4 runs required from 6 balls, RR: 9.84, RRR: 4.00)

  • Shoaib Malik45 (29b)
  • Sherfane Rutherford10 (8b)
  • James Faulkner4-0-40-1
  • Naseem Shah3-0-15-0
18.6
6
Faulkner to Shoaib Malik, SIX, Clubbed over the cow corner region! This is another slower delivery but it's right in his arc, stoops low to get underneath it and bashes it over the leg-side. Sensational from the old-timer
18.5
4
Faulkner to Shoaib Malik, FOUR, Four more to bring Zalmi within 10 runs of sealing this. Skips down the track to this wide delivery and thrashes hard, gets it out of the outer half of his blade and it skittles away to the thirdman rope. Not where he intended but he'll take however they come
18.4
6
Faulkner to Shoaib Malik, SIX, Mauled over deep midwicket! Goes deep in the crease to this length delivery, swivels and sends it soaring over the leg-side boundary
18.3
1
Faulkner to Rutherford, 1 run, Change of pace again, in the slot, looks to heave it over the on-side, gets it off the bottom-end of the blade down to long-on
18.2
4
Faulkner to Rutherford, FOUR, Slower ball it is and that's lifted magnificently over the off-side! No pace to work with but he makes his own by shuffling away and going up and over

A slow balls galore perhaps?

18.1
1
Faulkner to Shoaib Malik, 1 run, Slower ball from round the wicket angle, shimmies down the track and slaps it towards sweeper cover

Yasser: "I've seen mighty matches throughout all the PSL matches between these two sides. Am I witnessing another between these two sides? Am I?"

END OF OVER:
18 | 6 Runs | PZ: 165/4 (26 runs required from 12 balls, RR: 9.16, RRR: 13.00)

  • Sherfane Rutherford5 (6b)
  • Shoaib Malik28 (25b)
  • Naseem Shah3-0-15-0
  • James Faulkner3-0-18-1

Really clever from Naseem at the backend of that over

17.6
0
Naseem Shah to Rutherford, no run, And again, off-cutter on a length, Rutherford is way too early in his attempted leg-side hoick and it trickles down to Sarfraz.
17.5
0
Naseem Shah to Rutherford, no run, Terrific change of pace to follow it up, completely deceives Rutherford by rolling his fingers on the side of the ball. Two dots in a row
17.4
0
Naseem Shah to Rutherford, no run, Wonderful riposte! Fired in the blockhole and the left-handed bat can only jam his bat down and dig it out back to the bowler
17.3
4
Naseem Shah to Rutherford, FOUR, Much-needed boundary for Zalmi, picks up this fuller length delivery nonchalantly and clouts it over short midwicket
17.2
1
Naseem Shah to Shoaib Malik, 1 run, Slower bouncer, Malik is sitting back as he clumps it along the carpet in the on-side
17.1
1
Naseem Shah to Rutherford, 1 run, Length, just outside off, hangs back and glides it with an open-faced blade towards the point region

END OF OVER:
17 | 6 Runs 1 Wkt | PZ: 159/4 (32 runs required from 18 balls, RR: 9.35, RRR: 10.66)

  • Sherfane Rutherford0 (1b)
  • Shoaib Malik27 (24b)
  • James Faulkner3-0-18-1
  • Naseem Shah2-0-9-0

Excellent work from the left-armer

16.6
1lb
Faulkner to Rutherford, 1 leg bye, Slower ball first up to the new-comer, deceives him with the lack of pace

Sherfane Rutherford strides out into the middle

16.5
W
Faulkner to Hussain Talat, OUT, Holes out to wide long-on! Pitched up just outside off, it's right in his arc as he looks to club it over the on-side, cannot get the elevation he needed and it's safely held. We've got a game on here

Hussain Talat c Iftikhar Ahmed b Faulkner 52 (29b 5x4 2x6) SR: 179.31

16.4
1lb
Faulkner to Shoaib Malik, 1 leg bye, Pitching outside leg as it thuds into Malik's pads who does not get any connection on his attempted flick shot
16.3
1
Faulkner to Hussain Talat, 1 run, Nice and tight line just outside off, Talat blocks it with soft hands and they scurry through for a quick single
16.2
1
Faulkner to Shoaib Malik, 1 run, Slower delivery, wide outside off, Malik shapes up for a mighty heave but gets it off the bottom half of his bat

Back over the wicket

Zalmi 2nd innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st43T Kohler-CadmoreYasir Khan
2nd19T Kohler-CadmoreHaider Ali
3rd15Shoaib MalikHaider Ali
4th81Shoaib MalikHussain Talat
5th30Shoaib MalikSE Rutherford
6th3Shoaib MalikBCJ Cutting

Pakistan Super League

TeamMWLPTNRR
MS1091181.253
LQ1064120.765
PZ106412-0.34
IU10468-0.069
QG10468-0.708
KK10192-0.891