RAWALPINDI: Shadab Khan’s all-round performance trumped Aamir Jamal’s batting heroics to help Islamabad United edge past Peshawar Zalmi in the 20th match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 9 here on Monday.
While chasing 197, Peshawar Zalmi managed to reach 167-9 in 20 overs, losing by 29 runs.
The visitors had a horrible start to their chase as they lost both openers in the first over with only one run on the board.
Skipper Babar Azam got run out at the non-striker end, while Saim Ayub was caught in the slip by Salman Ali Agha.
Islamabad United bowled tight lines and Peshawar Zami soon found themselves slipped to 18-5 inside the power play.
With 179 required off 86 balls and five wickets, Peshawar Zalmi appeared to get bundled out for a paltry total.
However, Aamir Jamal produced an innings similar to his fighting 82-run knock in the third Test against Australia last month.
Jamal fought back with a one-sided 107-run partnership with Paul Walter, who scored only 29.
Jamal launched a controlled onslaught on Islamabad United bowlers, hitting shots across all sides of the park during his 87-run knock from 49 balls.
He smashed a total of 14 boundaries including six sixes.
However, Shadab Khan broke the partnership by removing Walter and castled Jamal in the next over to seal the deal for his side.
With 45 needed off two overs, Zalmi managed only 15 runs and suffered their third loss in the PSL 9.
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Shadab Khan topped the bowling charts with the figures of 3-41. Hunain Shah and Rumman Raees managed two wickets each.
Earlier, Peshawar Zalmi opted to field first and drew first blood as Saim Ayub bowled Alex Hales on the first ball of the innings.
Colin Munro hit Ayub for a six and a four in the next over, but the bowler had the last laugh as he dismissed the batter while attempting for another boundary.
With Islamabad United stranded at 28-2 in three overs, skipper Shadab Khan and Salman Ali Agha joined hands to help the team recover.
They knitted a 65-run partnership for the third wicket in 44 balls to push the team’s total to 90 in 10 overs.
However, Salman Irshad got Agha caught behind in the 11th over to break the partnership and force a comeback for the visitors.
Agha went to the pavilion after a gutsy 37 off 25, which featured four boundaries and two sixes.
Khan was joined by Jordan Cox for another brilliant partnership which accumulated 68 runs in 39 balls, dominated by the captain.
Khan played a blistering innings and hit 10 boundaries including six sixes on his way to a 51-ball 80 before Luke Wood got the prized wicket with 161 runs on the board.
Azam Khan then played an unbeaten cameo of 29 runs from 14 balls with the help of four boundaries and one six to push the team’s total to 196-4 in their allocated 20 overs.
Cox remained unbeaten at 26 off 20, featuring two boundaries and one six.
For Peshawar Zalmi, Saim Ayub led the bowling charts with figures of 2-15, while Wood and Irshad bagged one wicket each.
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