Records galore as Roy-led Gladiators down Zalmi in high-scoring contest

RAWALPINDI: Numerous records bite the dust as Quetta Gladiators downed Peshawar Zalmi in the must-win Pakistan Super League (PSL) season eight clash on Wednesday.

After struggling with the bat in the initial fixtures, Gladiators’ hard-hitting opener Jason Roy announced his comeback in style as the right-handed batter powered his side to pull off a miraculous victory over Zalmi with a marathon 145-run knock in the run chase.

With his scintillating match-winning knock, Roy registered the highest-ever individual score in PSL history, trumping Karachi Kings’ Colin Ingram’s 127 not out against Gladiators in 2019.

Roy also became the first overseas player in PSL to score two centuries in the league’s history. His century was also the second-fastest in the league’s history.

English opener’s astonishing knock powered Gladiators to pull off the highest-ever run chase in PSL history, breaking the previous record of Multan Sultans, who successfully chased down 209 against Lahore Qalandars in the previous edition.

The historic pursuit was also the second-highest successful chase in domestic T20s and the fourth-highest in all T20s.

The Gladiators also bettered the third-highest total of PSL history by scoring 243/2 which Zalmi put up in the first innings as they finished at 240/2.

Meanwhile, despite being a forgetful night for him as a captain, Babar Azam unlocked a long-awaited achievement for himself as the star batter struck his maiden century in the extravaganza.

With his magnificent knock, Babar scored his eighth century in T20s and is only behind T20 great Chris Gayle, who scored 22 tons in his iconic career.

READ: Roy ton pulls off miraculous win over Zalmi as Gladiators stay alive