LAHORE - Peshawar Zalmi defeated Islamabad United by 12 runs in the first eliminator of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 8 to book a spot in the second eliminator against Lahore Qalandars. At the Gaddafi Stadium, Peshawar, after being put to bat first, could only score 183-8 in 20 overs. However, their bowlers restricted Islamabad to 171-6 in their allotted 20 overs to secure the victory, thanks to brilliant bowling by Salman Irshad (2-18) and Aamer Jamal (2-36). Chasing a target of 184 runs, Islamabad managed to score 171-6 in their 20 overs. Alex Hales and Sohaib Maqsood had added 115 runs for the secondwicket partnership but once Maqsood departed for 60 runs off 48 balls, hitting 7 fours and 2 sixes, Peshawar took control of the match with outstanding bowling and regular wickets. Azam Khan and Hales also fell soon after, and despite a valiant effort from captain Shadab Khan, Islamabad fell short of the target. Peshawar’s Salman Irshad and Aamer Jamal were main wrecker-in-chiefs of Islamabad United’s batting line up as they claimed two wickets each conceding 18 and 36 runs respectively.
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Earlier, Peshawar posted 183- 8 on the board in the allotted 20 overs. Babar Azam and Saim Ayub had made an explosive start, stitching 60 runs in only 4.4 overs, but after Ayub departed for 23 runs, Babar continued his impressive form and scored 64 runs in 39 balls, becoming the fastest player to score 9,000 runs in T20 cricket. Mohammad Haris also contributed with a brisk cameo of 34 runs in 17 balls, but Islamabad made a strong comeback in the death overs to restrict Peshawar to under 200 runs. Shadab Khan claimed two wickets for 40 runs, including an important wicket of Babar Azam. Multan Sultans had already qualified for the final after defeating Lahore Qalandars in the Qualifier, while Peshawar will now face Lahore Qalandars in the Eliminator 2 for a chance to play in the grand finale of the HBL PSL 8.