That's all from us for now, folks. Thank you for tuning in. This is Rashad Mahbub signing off on behalf of Rvel Zahid and the rest of the crew. See you soon!
David Warner: "[What went wrong in the end?] I think the message back to the group was that 185 to 195 was probably the par total. It was hard, but underneath it was that sort of crumbly soil. The guys said if you bash the length, you couldn't really go under it. But look, the way that Raza bowled was outstanding; he showed all the senior players what length to hit. [Picking up form is tough in T20s] That's not tough at all. It's just about backing yourself. I think when things aren't going well for your team, it's about having confidence in yourself. You see, with Zalmi at the moment, they are a quality lineup batting and backing themselves. You get totals of 200 plus comfortably when things are going your way. For us, it's a couple of losses back to back now, and we have to try and keep the morale as high as we can coming here tomorrow. [Conditions] Yeah, look, it's one of those things where you always want the ball to come onto the bat. You always feel when you haven't had game time or when things aren't going well, the bat feels a little bit heavier. But we're all athletes; we do this day in, day out, and we have to rock back up tomorrow with a positive attitude."
Player of the Match, Kusal Mendis: "[Making the headlines] Yeah, of course. I'm very happy. I think I give 100% to my team every match. I practised so many times a few months ago, so I'm very happy. [Setting a target or chasing it?] It depends on the wickets. I think earlier it was a little bit slow and spinny. Then in the second innings, there was a little bit of low bounce, but the ball was coming on nicely. Farhan batted really well; he gave me a lot of support out there. [Farhan and Ali Raza] I think he [Raza] bowled really well. He is a fast bowler, bowling 140 plus. In the last match, he also bowled well. He knows how to bowl to his strengths on a flat pitch; he knows everything. I think he can play for the national team quickly. Farhan also batted and fielded really well. I think both are doing great for our team."
6 pm Nobody seems to be stopping Zalmi this season; they're just rolling over teams at the moment. The chase got off to a solid start with a 37-run opening stand, then Babar departed inside the powerplay for the first time this season. Things got a bit shaky when both openers were back in the pavilion before the powerplay ended, and Hardie didn't last much longer either. That's when Mendis and Yousaf stepped in and really took control. They didn't panic; they just built the innings smartly and kept things moving. Mendis, in particular, looked in great touch, bringing up yet another fifty and playing some lovely shots all around the ground. Yousaf complemented him perfectly, showing maturity beyond his years and picking his moments to attack. The Kings didn't do themselves any favors in the field. Dropping Mendis and then giving Yousaf another life later on proved costly. Add to that Aziz's injury, which left them short on bowling options, plus some sloppy fielding, and it just wasn't their day. The partnership between Mendis and Yousaf turned into a match-winning one, finishing unbeaten with 119 runs. Mendis ended on 80, Yousaf on 58; both played a huge role in sealing the win. Zalmi's middle order stepping up like this is a big sign of how strong they are right now. And Yousaf? He's definitely one to watch - looks like a real talent. His U19 teammate Raza grabbing a hat-trick earlier just adds to the excitement for Pakistan fans. As for Karachi Kings, things are getting tricky. They'll need to win their remaining matches and hope other results go their way because the table is starting to tighten up.
Shadow-Shell: "EZ PZ"
Nadeem: "@Qasim.For the love of God, no more captains in the team, please! At present we have more captains than players."
Peshawar Zalmi won by 7 wickets
Scores Level
Dude: "Nothing's going in the favor of Karachi, misfields, dropped chances, and now the no-ball. "
13 runs needed off 12 balls. Here's Hasan Ali
END OF OVER:18 | 14 Runs | PZ: 170/3 (13 runs required from 12 balls, RR: 9.44, RRR: 6.50)
- Kusal Mendis80 (43b)
- Farhan Yousaf42 (31b)
- Abbas Afridi4-0-46-1
- Hasan Ali3-0-36-1
Hamid: "Mendis is giving quite a strong message to the school of thought that proper textbook cricketing shots have no place in T20 cricket and that its all about power and cheeky shots"
Free Hit
27 runs needed off 18 balls.
END OF OVER:17 | 12 Runs | PZ: 156/3 (27 runs required from 18 balls, RR: 9.17, RRR: 9.00)
- Farhan Yousaf37 (28b)
- Kusal Mendis73 (39b)
- Hasan Ali3-0-36-1
- Abbas Afridi3-0-32-1
Qasim: "Farhan Yousuf looks a proper middle order batter, if groomed in the right way he could be Pakistan captain in the next 4-5 years"
