LAHORE: It was quite an unusual scenario here at the Gaddafi Stadium with Lahore Qalandars batters showing their grit in their last initial-stage match.

Though their innings against Peshawar Zalmi revolved around Fakhar Zaman, Qalandars’ mainstay known for his belligerent willow work, the southpaw on Saturday night crafted an uncharacteristic knock while his batting partners took the main role as they overhauled 200 with three balls to spare.

Abdullah Shafique, Charith Asalanka, Sikandar Raza and Daniel Sams all made valuable contributions with the bat.

The Shaheen Shah Afridi-led side in the process became the first team to beat table toppers Zalmi who had won eight matches of the ongoing edition before Saturday.

The thrilling win, Qalandars’ fifth in 10 games, lifted them to the fourth spot as they kept their playoffs hopes alive in the eight-team league.

With 10 points under their belt, defending champions Qalandars now wait anxiously for the outcome of Sunday’s clash between Hyderabad Kingsmen, who have four wins (eight points), and bottom-placed Rawalpindiz in Karachi. Kingsmen, in order to reach the playoffs, need to beat Rawalpindiz by a big margin to get a relatively better net run-rate or else Qalandars will go through.

Sams’ (35 not out off 15, five fours and a six) couple off pacer Mohammad Basit in the final over gave Qalandars a memorable six-wicket victory.

Earlier in their innings, Qalandars after losing Mohammad Naeem (10) to pacer Khurram Shahzad in the third over at the total of 21 cruised to 64-1 in powerplay as a unusually quiet Fakhar, who made 58 not out off 47 — steadily lifted his scoring rate.

Fakhar was accompanied by Abdullah Shafique who walloped an 11-ball 25 laced with four fours and a six as the duo sought to cruise ahead.

However, immediately after powerplay, spinner Iftikhar Ahmed sent Abdullah back to the pavilion as the batter looked to play a slog sweep but only managed to get caught at deep mid-wicket by Sufiyan Muqeem.

Fakhar, later named player-of-the-match, then combined with Asalanka, who made 33 off 26, to help Qalandars get past 100 in the 11th over. The 53-run stand was broken by Ali Raza in the 13th over when a well-disguised slower ball deceived Asalanka who was caught in the cover by Michael Bracewell.

Sikandar Raza looked in a punishing mood as the right-hander made a whirlwind 29 off just 11 striking three sixes and a couple of fours to steer Qalandars to 150 in the 16th over. In the same over however, he was dismissed — hit-wicket while attempting a shot over fine-leg — by Sufiyan as the scoreline now read 160-4.

But Sams and Fakhar completed the job for Qalandars without any further loss.

Khurram, Iftikhar, Ali and Sufiyan claimed a wicket each for Zalmi.

Earlier after being sent in to bat, Zalmi posted a solid 199-4 off the stipulated overs thanks to the fireworks by Bracewell who was well supported by Babar.

Zalmi were restricted earlier as opener James Vince and in-form Kusal Mendis were sent back in a double strike by Shaheen inside powerplay.

Vince, after making 10, was cleaned up by an inswinging yorker in the third over. In the fifth, Shaheen intelligently deceived Mendis with a slower one as the Sri Lankan batter attempting to pull mistimed it to give a simple catch to Haris Rauf at mid-on. It was now 36-2.

After posting a moderate 43-2 in powerplay, Bracewell and Babar gradually rebuilt the innings to help Zalmi reach 78 at the halfway stage. The duo continued to keep a moderate scoring rate to post 100-2 in 13.1 overs.

Opener Babar, enjoying a sublime run of form with the bat, continued to impress as he completed the half-century — his third of the ongoing edition — off 40 balls. The batter has struck a hundred too in the ongoing edition, against Quetta Gladiators in Karachi.

Playing relatively faster, Bracewell completed his fifty off 30 but not before the New Zealander got a life on 16 in the eighth over when Naeem dropped an easy catch in deep cover.

Babar and Bracewell added an invaluable 94 runs off 64 balls before the former fell in the 16th over when Haris bowled him. Babar consumed 45 balls for his 59 and struck five fours and a six.

Left-handed Bracewell, who during his fabulous knock cracked eight fours and six sixes, was joined by Iftikhar (27 not out off 14, five fours) and the pair changed gears to add 64 runs off just 27 balls steering Zalmi to 194-3.

After bludgeoning 83 off 45, Bracewell was undone by a reverse-swinging yorker by Haris in the final over.

Shaheen finished with two wickets for 36 while Haris conceded 46 runs for his two.

SCOREBOARD

PESHAWAR ZALMI:

James Vince b Shaheen10

Babar Azam b Haris59

Kusal Mendis c Haris b Shaheen7

Michael Bracewell b Haris83

Iftikhar Ahmed not out27

Abdul Samad not out4

EXTRAS (LB-4, W-5)9

TOTAL (for four wickets, 20 overs)199

DID NOT BAT: Farhan Yousaf, Sufiyan Muqeem, Mohammad Basit, Ali Raza, Khurram Shahzad

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-16 (Vince), 2-36 (Mendis), 3-130 (Babar), 4-194 (Bracewell)

BOWLING: Shaheen 4-0-36-2, Ubaid 3-0-28-0, Sams 4-0-35-0 (1w), Raza 4-0-32-0 (1w), Haris 4-0-46-2 (3w), Burl 1-0-18-0

LAHORE QALANDARS:

Fakhar Zaman not out58

Mohammad Naeem c Iftikhar b Khurram10

Abdullah Shafique c Sufiyan b Iftikhar25

Charith Asalanka c Bracewell b Ali33

Sikandar Raza hit wicket b Sufiyan29

Daniel Sams not out35

EXTRAS (LB-1, NB-1, W-8)10

TOTAL (for four wickets, 19.3 overs) 200

DID NOT BAT: Ryan Burl, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haseebullah Khan, Ubaid Shah, Haris Rauf

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-21 (Naeem), 2-65 (Abdullah), 3-118 (Asalanka), 4-160 (Raza)

BOWLING: Khurram 3-0-22-1 (2w, 1nb), Basit 3.3-0-36-0 (1w), Iftikhar 4-0-33-1, Ali 3-0-48-1 (1w), Bracewell 2-0-22-0, Sufiyan 4-0-38-1

RESULT: Lahore Qalandars won by six wickets.

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Fakhar Zaman

POINTS TABLE

(Tabulated under matches, won, lost, no result, points, run-rate)

Peshawar Zalmi 10 8 1 1 17 2.324

Multan Sultans 9 6 3 0 12 0.450

Islamabad United 9 5 3 1 11 1.766

Lahore Qalandars 10 5 5 0 10 -0.482

Karachi Kings 10 5 5 0 10 -0.869

Hyderabad Kingsmen 9 4 5 0 8 -1.037

Quetta Gladiators 10 3 7 0 6 -0.410

Rawalpindiz 9 1 8 0 2 -1.330

Published in Dawn, April 26th, 2026