Saim, Bryant guide Zalmi to convincing victory over Sultans

MULTAN: Max Bryant’s unbeaten 38 after Saim Ayub’s 49 helped Peshawar Zalmi beat Multan Sultans by seven wickets in the 25th match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 10 on Monday.

Defending 109, David Willey provided a breakthrough to his side as he dismissed Mitchell Owen in the first over of the innings.

His opening partner, Saim Ayub, was then joined by their skipper, Babar Azam.

However, the star batter could not contribute much in the chase as he was castled by Shahid Aziz on eight, with the scoreboard showing 57/2 in 6.4 overs.

Saim Ayub and Max Bryant then stitched a 13-run partnership to take Zalmi to 70 before the former fell to Shahid Aziz on 49 off 33 balls.

Max Bryant then took on the chase and remained unbeaten on 38 alongside Mohammad Haris (7)* as Peshawar Zalmi chased down the target in 13 overs, with seven wickets in hand.

Earlier, Ahmed Daniyal took three wickets as Peshawar Zalmi bowled out Multan Sultans for 108 after the home side won the toss and opted to bat first.

Multan Sultans were off to a shaky start as Yasir Khan fell to Saim Ayub after scoring 10 runs.

Sultans skipper Mohammad Rizwan was then dismissed by Luke Wood on 17, leaving the home side struggling at 34/2 in 5.1 overs.

Tayyab Tahir and Shai Hope then attempted to rebuild the innings, and stitch a 26-run partnership when Ahmed Daniyal dismissed Tahir for 22.

Ashton Turner fell to Maaz Sadaqat for a duck as Sultans slumped to 61/4 in 9.3 overs.

Muhammad Amir Barki failed in his PSL 10 game and became Sadaqat’s second victim after scoring just three runs.

Shahid Aziz made one before his dismissal off Ali Raza, while David Willey was removed by Ahmed Daniyal on eight.

Ubaid Shah became Daniyal’s third victim in the game while Mohammad Hasnain was dismissed by Wood after he scored 11.

Faisal Akram remained unbeaten on four as Peshawar Zalmi bundled out Multan Sultans for 108 in 19.1 overs.

For Zalmi, Ahmed Daniyal picked up three wickets, Luke Wood bagged two, while Alzarri Joseph, Ali Raza and Saim Ayub claimed a wicket each.

Playing XIs

Peshawar Zalmi: Mitch Owen, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Haris (wk), Hussain Talat, Max Bryant, Maaz Sadaqat, Luke Wood, Alzari Joseph, Ahmed Daniyal, and Ali Raza.

Multan Sultans: Yasir Khan, Mohammad Rizwan (c) (wk), Shai Hope, Tayyab Tahir, Muhammad Amir Barki, Ashton Turner, Shahid Aziz, David Willey, Faisal Akram, Mohammad Hasnain, and Ubaid Shah.

The 10th edition of the Pakistan Super League kicked off on April 11 and will run till May 18.

The six-team tournament will consist of 34 matches with Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium hosting 13 matches, including the two Eliminators and the final.

Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium will host 11 PSL 10 matches, including the first Qualifier on May 13, while Multan Cricket Stadium will host five matches.

Karachi’s National Bank Stadium has hosted five games of the ongoing edition.