Sharifuls Zalmi Beat Rishads Rawalpindiz

Peshawar Zalmi, featuring Bangladesh pacer Shariful Islam, kicked off their Pakistan Super League campaign with a thrilling victory. In a high-scoring contest at Gaddafi Stadium, they defeated Rishad Hossain’s Rawalpindiz by five wickets.

Chasing a daunting target of 215, Zalmi reached 216/5 on the very first ball of the final over to seal the win. Openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Haris provided a strong start, adding 78 runs for the first wicket. Babar scored 39 off 28 balls, while Haris played a brisk innings of 47 from 28 deliveries.

Kusal Mendis then contributed a quick 31 off 17 balls, but Zalmi came under slight pressure in the middle phase. However, Abdul Samad (33 off 11) and Michael Bracewell (35 off 17) brought the chase back on track. Aamir Jamal finished things off in style, remaining unbeaten on 17 off just 5 balls.

For Rawalpindiz, Bangladesh’s Rishad Hossain made a notable contribution with the ball, taking 1 wicket for 35 runs in 4 overs. He conceded just 17 runs in his first three overs but went for 18 in his final over.

Earlier, Rawalpindiz posted a strong total of 214/4. Openers Yasir Khan and captain Mohammad Rizwan laid the foundation with a 125-run partnership. Yasir scored a blistering 83 off 46 balls, while Rizwan added 41 off 32.

Late contributions from Kamran Ghulam (37 off 20), Daryl Mitchell (23 off 13), and Sam Billings (18 not out off 8) helped push the total past 200. For Zalmi, Ali Raza picked up two wickets, while Aaron Hardie and Aamir Jamal took one each. Bangladesh’s Shariful Islam went wicketless, conceding 31 runs in his spell.