”Rashid Khan who broke our back with his five wickets” Malik said.

Rashid Khan recorded his career-best figures in franchise T20 cricket, taking 5-20 in his four overs as Lahore Qalandars beat Peshawar Zalmi by 10 runs to extend their lead at the top of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2021 points table. defeated by Rashid ran through Zalmi’s middle-order which included big hitters like David Miller, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford. Shoaib Malik fought a lone battle for his team as his 48-ball 73 went in vain.

“Regardless of all the extra runs, we conceded. It was still Rashid Khan who broke our back with his five wickets,” Malik said. “He took all those batsmen who have the good strike rate wherever they play in the world, and that haul was the one that changed the game.”

Ben Dunk and Tim David came to the rescue with a brilliant 81-run partnership to bring their team back from the dead. Dunk was dismissed for a fine 33-ball 48 while David remained unbeaten on 64 off just 36 balls.

James Faulkner produced some late fireworks with a 7-ball 22 cameo to help the Qalandars post 170 for eight.

In reply, Zalmi found themselves on the back foot straight away with Faulkner removing both the openers — Kamran Akmal and Haider Ali — in the second over.

Malik and Miller steadied the ship with a 51-run stand for the third wicket. Rashid Khan then took center stage breaking the back of Zalmi’s chase with his five-star performance.

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Even as the mayhem unfolded around him. Malik waged a lone battle to keep his team in the hunt. But Peshawar Zalmi could never recover from the damage done by Rashid and Shoaib’s dismissal in the penultimate over proved to be the final nail in the coffin.

Lahore Qalandars top the PSL points table with 10 points from six games. A third defeat for Peshawar Zalmi means they sit fourth in the table with six points from six games. The same number of points as the two teams sitting in second and third position.

Source: NDTV Sports