PSL 2023: Saim Ayub, Wahab Riaz checkmate table-toppers
Wahab Riaz snapped three wickets against Lahore (Twitter)
Lahore Qalandars took a beating at the hands of Peshawar Zalmi as the former went down in defeat, losing the 23rd match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) by 35 runs.
Ayub's fifty finishes off Qalandars
Peshawar's Saim Ayub took the wind out of Lahore Qalandar's sails with his 68-run knock as the opener did not even think once before throwing caution to the wind.
While the other opener, Babar Azam, who also happens to be the Zalmi skipper, batted at his usual pace, Ayub had to be the aggressor. His 36-ball 68 included a 107-run opening stand with Babar.
Even after Ayub took a walk back to the dressing room, Babar had the brakes on, although scored a 40-ball fifty only to get dismissed on the next delivery.
Barring Ayub, Tom Kohler-Cadmore was the one who got something out of the batting paradise at Rawalpindi. He scored 36 runs but after his dismissal, wickets fell like a pack of cards as Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf and Zaman Khan bundled out Peshawar Zalmi for 207 runs.
Riaz, Iqbal seals the deal
It was always going to be a tall order for the Qalandars to chase 208 runs, especially after being reduced to 21/4 in the powerplay overs.
Despite losing by 35 runs, the biggest plus for Lahore has to be Afridi and his batting as the captain smashed his maiden T20 fifty. Also, he formed a 114-run partnership with Hussain Talat, who also scored a half-century. Their fifth-wicket stand brought down the deficit of the defeat considerably.
For Peshawar Zalmi, Wahab Riaz and Arshad Iqbal took three wickets.
Brief scores:
Peshawar Zalmi - 207/10 (19.3)
Saim Ayub 68 (36), Tom Kohler Cadmore 36 (16);
Shaheen Shah Afridi 4-31 (4), Zaman Khan 2-30 (2.3)
Lahore Qalandars - 172/10 (19.4)
Hussain Talat 63 (37), Shaheen Shah Afridi 52 (36);
Wahab Riaz 3-17 (4), Arshad Iqbal 3-27 (4)
Result: Peshawar Zalmi won by 35 runs.
 "Aayush Mahajan")