LAHORE: Peshawar Zalmi ensured their pursuit for the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) playoffs stayed alive as debutant Maaz Sadaqat and skipper Babar Azam starred in a low-scoring encounter to give their team a six-wicket win over Islamabad United here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Friday night.

Zalmi are placed fifth in the standings — with two points separating them from Karachi Kings — but mathematically still in it with three games to go. United, however safe at the top, have lost their second match in a row after winning five on the trot.

They were poor with the bat against Zalmi, giving them 144 to chase, before Babar and Maaz — both scoring half centuries — combined for 100 runs in 60 balls to help Zalmi bounce back from a difficult start to chase down the target with 20 balls to spare.

Zalmi were reduced to 40-3 in the powerplay with Kyle Mayer striking on the second ball of the innings to get Mitch Owen, Ben Dwarshuis making Saim Ayub play on to his stumps and Mohammad Haris falling victim to a spectacular catch by Naseem Shah off Riley Meredith’s bowling.

Babar and Maaz initiated their response with caution, with only 20 runs coming in the next three overs, before Maaz pulled, and smacked Mayers straight down the ground for two sixes to take his team to 76-3 at halfway stage.

Maaz punished a wayward delivery by Naseem in the 12th over to bring up his 50 partnership with Babar before pulling Dwarshuis for another six and scored two boundaries off Saad Masood’s spin in the next over to reach his half century.

After the youngster creamed Meredith through long-off for another four, Babar (53 not out off 49, four fours and a six) joined the party, lifting the pacer over the same region for his first six. He brought up his half century and the 100-run partnership with Maaz with a four off Naseem in the 16th over.

The very over saw Maaz (55 off 33, four fours and three sixes) fall, but by that point, he had virtually won Zalmi the match.

Earlier, after winning the toss, United struggled to bat on a bowling friendly surface, before Dwarshuis’ late cameo helped them to 143-9.

Dwarshuis, coming in to bat with United reeling at 107-7 at the start of the 17th over, smashed three fours and two sixes in his knock of 33 off 17 balls.

He broke United’s shackles with a splendid four over midwicket, picking a slower shorter delivery by Ahmed Daniyal before clubbing the pacer over long-on.

After seeing Imad Wasim lose his wicket on the other end, Dwarshuis cleared long-on again, this time off Alzarri Joseph’s pace before getting a lucky boundary. He was helped by Babar’s misfielding at long-off for four more as United closed their innings.

The start of it saw openers Sahibzada Farhan and Mayers — playing his first match of the season — see off immense pace and movement by Joseph and Luke Wood to reach 49-0 in the powerplay.

Zalmi missed an opportunity for an early breakthrough when Farhan, after surviving an lbw appeal on the first ball of the match, played Wood straight into the hands of Babar at mid-off, only for the Zalmi captain to drop him.

Farhan, having celebrated his reprieve by bludgeoning three fours and a six in the first six overs, however, saw Babar eventually take him in the ninth over with Ahmed striking.

Mayers followed suit three balls later to give fast bowler Mohammad Ali his first wicket before Saim got Salman Ali Agha as Haris took a brilliant catch behind to wickets with the scoreboard reading 75-3 at the end of the 11th over.

The incoming Shadab Khan had hit two fours to end Saim’s wicket-taking over, but the all-rounder holed Joseph out to Maaz at midwicket before Ali (3-26) returned to get Colin Munro and Saad.

Azam Khan was next in line to lose his wicket, with Wood bouncing him out before Dwarshuis took over.

SCOREBOARD

ISLAMABAD UNITED:

Sahibzada Farhan c Babar b Ahmed 36

Kyle Mayers c Joseph b Ali 18

Colin Munro c Haris b Ali 11

Salman Ali Agha c Haris b Saim 4

Shadab Khan c Maaz b Joseph 15

Azam Khan c Haris b Wood 8

Saad Masood c Haris b Ali 1

Imad Wasim run out (Babar) 10

Ben Dwarshuis not out 33

Naseem Shah c Babar b Hussain 1

EXTRAS (LB-3, W-3) 6

TOTAL (for nine wickets, 20 overs) 143

DID NOT BAT: Riley Meredith

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-58 (Farhan), 2-62 (Mayers), 3-67 (Salman), 4-89 (Shadab), 5-89 (Munro), 6-91 (Saad), 7-107 (Azam), 8-124 (Imad), 9-143 (Naseem)

BOWLING: Wood 4-0-26-1 (1w), Joseph 4-0-29-1, Ali 4-0-26-3, Ahmed 4-0-29-1 (2w), Saim 2-0-16-1, Hussain 2-0-14-1

PESHAWAR ZALMI:

Mitchell Owen c Dwarshuis b Mayers 6

Saim Ayub b Dwarshuis 1

Babar Azam not out 53

Mohammad Haris c Naseem b Meredith 13

Maaz Sadaqat c Azam b Naseem 55

Max Bryant not out 4

EXTRAS (LB-1, NB-2, W-11) 14

TOTAL (for four wickets, 16. four overs) 147

DID NOT BAT: Luke Wood, Alzarri

Joseph, Mohammad Ali, Ahmed Daniyal, Hussain Talat

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-6 (Owen), 2-12 (Saim), 3-38 (Haris), 4-140 (Maaz)

BOWLING: Mayers 2-0-28-1 (1w), Dwarshuis 3.4-0-23-1 (2w), Naseem 4-0-24-1 (2w), Meredith 3-0-30-1 (1w), Salman 1-0-7-0, Imad 2-0-14-0 (1w), Saad 1-0-20-0 (1w, 2nb)

RESULT: Peshawar Zalmi won by six wickets.

PLAYER-OF-THE-MATCH: Maaz Sadaqat

CURRENT STANDING

Tabulated under (Teams, matches, wins, losses, points, net run-rate)

United 7 5 2 10 0.774

Qalandars 8 4 3 9 1.110

Gladiators 7 4 2 9 1.034

Kings 7 4 3 8 0.445

Zalmi 7 3 4 6 -0.507

Sultans 8 1 7 2 -2.597

Published in Dawn, May 3rd, 2025