Unbeaten run: Quetta see off Peshawar threat in thriller

Hello and welcome to CricketCountry’s coverage of the match between Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators in Match 7 of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2016 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Medium pacer Russell was expensive in his two-over spell, conceding 31 runs while West Indies leg-spinner Samuel Badree also went wicket-less from three overs which cost 25 runs. Skipper Ahmed’s 71 run-knock guided the Gladiators to an eight-wicket win over Kings.

He made his first worldwide appearance during the recently concluded series against New Zealand after completing his global banishment. For Peshwar, Afridi and Wahab took two wickets each.

Watch highlights of that Peshawar Zalmi win over Islamabad United in the video below.

Kevin Pietersen scored a vital 35 for the Quetta Gladiators in the chase.

That master craftsman Pietersen is still in form after all the years, was evident when he swung his bat in tee-off fashion for a sweetly timed six over long on, off the bowling of pacer Junaidin the eighth over.

Umar Gul (2-19) further dented the Zalmi batting lineup as he removed Dawid Malan (18) and Shahid Afridi (0) to restrict them to 59 for five.

Tamim Iqbal and Mohammad Hafeez got straight into the thick of things with a quick fire start for Peshawar. Ahmed Shehzad was the hero for the Gladiators with a forty six-ball seventy one that helped his aspect to an 8-wicket victory whereas Zalmi had the match almost beneath their bag early on as Qalandars misplaced three wickets, together with that of the harmful Chris Gayle, with simply 4 runs on the board.

Darren Sammy (48) rescued Zalmi with a 57-run stand with Shahid Yousuf (21). Mohammad Amir managed to keep the pair quiet for a couple of overs but Shehzad and Wright targeted the other bowlers in the line-up to make up for it. They took 34 runs off Shakib Al Hasan’s three overs during their partnership, including a 16-run over in which both Wright and Shehzad struck sixes on the leg side.