Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin ReportKARACHI: Multan Sultans qualified for the final of the HBL PSL in a row, as they ousted Peshawar Zalmi by a dominating seven-wicket victory in the qualifier on Thursday night at National Bank Stadium, Karachi. Peshawar Zalmi will face the winner of the eliminator one, scheduled between Islamabad United and Quetta Gladiators on 15 March.The Sultans' bowling line-up showcased their depth as all the bowlers contributed towards limiting Zalmi to a below-par total of 146-7, which was later knocked down by the batters in 18.3 overs, registering a convincing win.Multan Sultans’ opening batters, Yasir Khan and Muhammad Rizwan, set the tone for the chase with an impressive 61-run opening partnership. Yasir revealed his intentions from the get-go as he smashed Mehran Mumtaz for a maximum on just the second ball. While Rizwan struggled to get off the blocks, Yasir hit Paul Walter for three boundaries in the fourth over. Sultans notched 45 in the powerplay while the 50-run opening partnership came off 39 balls.Rizwan buckled under pressure in the eighth over as he succumbed to Aamir Jamal for a scratchy 15 off 21 balls with Saim Ayub taking the catch. In the next over, Yasir brought up his maiden HBL PSL half-century off just thirty balls.At the halfway mark, Sultans required a shade above run-a-ball with nine wickets in hand. Mehran returned in the 11th over and dismissed belligerent Yasir for 54 off 37 balls, comprising seven boundaries and one six.Johnson Charles and Usman Khan stitched a 35-run third-wicket partnership until Charles’ (11, 17b, 1x4) troubled stay at the crease was ended by Salman Irshad with a fine yorker. Iftikhar Ahmed (22 not out, 8b, 3x4s, 1x6) walked in and bludgeoned Salman for three boundaries. With a mere eight needed off the last two overs, he smashed Wood for a maximum followed by a single, while Usman (36 not out, 28b, 3x4s) hit the winning runs, taking Sultans to the final of HBL PSL 9. Mehran, Aamir and Salman picked up one wicket each.Earlier, Peshawar Zalmi won the toss and elected to bat first. David Willey struck in the first over, taking his tally of HBL PSL 9 powerplay wickets to eight, as Saim, hit a short ball toward the square boundary but was pouched by Yasir. Mohammad Haris joined Babar Azam in the middle for a 47-run second-wicket partnership.Haris raced to 22 off 13 balls on the back of four boundaries before Mohammad Ali pitched one just outside off-stump on a nagging length, inducing an edge that was caught by Rizwan. Zalmi finished the powerplay with 51-2 on the board. Usama Mir, introduced into the attack in the eighth over, dismissed Haseebullah, who cut the last ball of the over straight in the hands of Ali at short third.Tom Kohler-Cadmore joined Babar to steady Zalmi’s innings with a decent fourth-wicket partnership of 44 off 35 balls. With a boundary in the 11th over, Babar brought up his 1000 T20 runs in 2024. Chris Jordan, bowling the 14th over, unleashed a lethal yorker as he hit the base of Babar’s (46, 42b, 5x4s) off-stump leaving him stunned, with the scorecard reading 101-4.Babar also crossed the 500-run mark in HBL PSL 9, becoming only the second batter, besides Rizwan, to notch this feat twice in the tournament’s history. An over later, Usama returned to bowl the last over of his spell and took his HBL PSL 9 tally of wickets to 23, as he dismissed Kohler-Cadmore for a-run-a-ball 24. Usama, who holds the Fazal Mahmood Cap in HBL PSL 9, also became the bowler with joint second-most wickets in an HBL PSL season, with only Hasan Ali ahead of him with 25 scalps.Rovman Powell, who chipped in with 12 off 11 on the back of a solitary boundary, departed in the 18th over as Jordan bagged his second wicket. The penultimate over saw drama as Abbas Afridi dismissed Aamir Jamal (1, 3b), while a ball later Luke Wood smashed him for a six and a four on successive balls.Jordan bowled an impressive last over giving away just three runs as Zalmi scrambled their way to 146-7 in the stipulated 20 overs. Wood (14, 7b, 1x4, 1x6) and Paul Walter (14, 11b, 2x4s) remained unbeaten after adding 15 runs for the seventh wicket. Usama and Jordan bagged two wickets each while Willey, Ali and Abbas chipped in with one each.

Sports Bulletin ReportDubai (UAE): Additional public tickets for 51 of 55 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 fixtures are set to be released on Tuesday, 19 March at 10am AST, including for fixtures where tickets are currently unavailable. Fans will also have the first opportunity to secure a premium T20 World Cup experience through the opening of the hospitality programme.Following huge demand for ICC Men’s T20 World Cup tickets during the ballot, when more than three million applications were received, the expansion of public ticket availability will ensure that more supporters can experience the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup action live from each stadium.Fans can already create an account at the official platform tickets.t20worldcup.com to securely purchase tickets today to 37 matches. Prices start from as low as US$6 for select games in the Caribbean and from US$35 at USA venues.Venues with match’s tickets unavailable:Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad and Tobago: Semi-Final 1 (26 Jun)Broward County Stadium, Lauderhill: Pakistan v Ireland (16 Jun)Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium, Dallas: Netherlands v Nepal (4 Jun), United States v Pakistan (6 June), Sri Lanka v Bangladesh (7 Jun)Guyana National Stadium, Guyana: Semi-Final 2 (27 Jun)Kensington Oval, Barbados: C1 v A1 – Super Eight (20 Jun), A2 v C2 – Super Eight (21 Jun), A2 v B1 – Super Eight (23 Jun)Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York: India v Ireland (5 Jun), United States v India (12 Jun)Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua and Barbuda: A2 v D1 – Super Eight (19 Jun), A1 v D2 – Super Eight (22 Jun)Public tickets remain unavailable for four matches, including USA v Canada (Jun 1), India v Pakistan (9 Jun), India v Canada (15 Jun) and the Final in Barbados (Jun 29).ICC Head of Events, Chris Tetley said: “We are delighted to have worked with our commercial partners to be able to release these additional tickets to 51 matches to ensure that we are accommodating as many fans as possible at every ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 fixture. The demand has been exceptionally strong for matches at venues across both the West Indies and USA, so we encourage fans to secure their World Cup experience as soon as possible to be part of what will be a historic event.”Fawwaz Baksh, Tournament Director, ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 said: “With less than 80 days to the start of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, this announcement is an emphatic response to the global call from fans to make additional tickets available for matches and we are thrilled to be able to do this, while ensuring that as many people as possible have the opportunity to witness the biggest Carnival of Cricket in person.”T20 World Cup CEO, Brett Jones said: “We are thrilled to be able to offer additional tickets for sale to the public who are clearly hungry for them, and also happy to be in position to open our hospitality offerings. There are currently options for everyone, at all USA venues, but that is not likely to last long, so we encourage interested fans to act quickly.”

Sports Bulletin ReportKARACHI: The Pakistan Cricket Board today (March 9, 2024) announced umpire and match referee appointments for the HBL PSL 9 three playoffs and the final, which will be played from 14-18 March at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi.The 14 March Qualifier involving table-toppers Multan Sultans and Peshawar Zalmi will be refereed by Roshan Mahanama. Aleem Dar and Richard Illingworth will be the on-field umpires, while Rashid Riaz and Faisal Afridi will be the third and fourth umpires, respectively.Match Referee Mohammad Javed will lead the playing control team for the 15 March Eliminator 1 between Islamabad United and Quetta Gladiators. Ahsan Raza and Chris Gaffaney will be the on-field umpires, while Asif Yaqoob and Rashid Riaz will be the third and fourth umpires, respectively.16 March Eliminator 2 featuring the loser of 14 March match and the winner of 15 March fixture will be refereed by Muhammad Javed. Richard Illingworth and Asif Yaqoob will perform on-field umpire responsibilities, while Ahsan Raza and Faisal Afridi will be the third and fourth umpires, respectively.For the final scheduled on 18 March, Richard Illingworth and Chris Gaffaney will perform the duties of on-field umpires, while Ahsan Raza and Asif Yaqoob will be third and fourth umpires, respectively. Roshan Mahanama will lead the playing control team for the final.

Sports Bulletin ReportKARACHI: Multan Sultans’ Iftikhar Ahmed has been fined five per-cent of his match-fee for a Level 1 breach of HBL PSL’s code of conduct during his side’s HBL PSL 9 fixture against Quetta Gladiators at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi.Iftikhar was found to have violated Article 2.5 of the HBL PSL Code of Conduct, which reads as: “Using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon his/her dismissal during a match”.The incident happened in the third over of Quetta Gladiators’ batting, when Iftikhar used inappropriate language towards the batter who was dismissed. Since Iftikhar pleaded guilty to the charge and accepted the sanctions proposed by match referee Ali Naqvi, there was no need of a formal hearing. The charge was imposed by on-field umpires Rashid Riaz and Richard Illingworth. 

Sports Bulletin ReportDubai (UAE): Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is back at the top of the ICC Men’s Test Bowling Rankings after finishing with a nine-wicket match haul in his 100th Test match. Ashwin returned hauls of four for 51 and five for 77 against England as India won by an innings and 64 runs in Dharamsala to complete a 4-1 win in the ICC World Test Championship series.Ashwin reclaimed the top spot from compatriot Jasprit Bumrah to start his sixth stint at the top of the rankings. He first became number one in December 2015. Player of the Match Kuldeep Yadav, who became the fastest Indian in terms of balls bowled to take 50 Test wickets, has risen 15 places to a career-best 16th position after finishing with seven wickets in the match.India captain Rohit Sharma (up five places to sixth) and Shubman Gill (up 11 places to a career-best 20th) have also made notable gains while Player of the Series Yashasvi Jaiswal has moved up two places to eighth after notching a half-century. Jaiswal aggregates 740 rating points after nine Tests, with only two batters having tallied more after as many Tests – Australians Don Bradman (752) and Mike Hussey (741).England players Zak Crawley and Jonny Bairstow have moved up a slot each in the batting rankings while spinner Shoaib Bashir has progressed 11 places to 71st position. Australia completed a 2-0 series win over New Zealand in Christchurch to take second place behind India in the WTC table and Alex Carey’s match-winning 98 not out sees him go up from 50th to 38th. Fast bowler Josh Hazlewood continued his fine run to finish with six wickets in the match, including a five-for, to make it 35 wickets at 15.31 for the season and moved to second position behind Ashwin.That equals his best-ever position in the rankings, which he first achieved in February 2017. Despite a peak bowling rating of 864 – achieved in March 2017 – Hazlewood has never been in top spot. Only Kapil Dev (877), Ryan Harris (870), Courtney Walsh (868) and Rangana Herath (866) have had higher peaks without ever reaching number one position.Matt Henry’s superb first innings figures of seven for 67 helped him advance six places to 12th and over the 700-point mark for the first time in his career. He is also up to sixth among all-rounders. Australian Mitchell Marsh (up eight places to 55th) and New Zealand players Tom Latham (up six places 35th) and Rachin Ravindra (up 10 places to 66th) are others to move up the batting rankings.In the Men’s ODI Rankings, Ireland’s Harry Tector has moved up two places to a career-best-equalling fourth position after aggregating 141 runs in the three-match series against Afghanistan while Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s series-topping 172 runs in his team’s 2-0 win, sees him move up from 24th to 22nd. Ibrahim Zadran (up three places to 14th among batters) and Fazalhaq Farooqi (up 10 places to 41st among bowlers) have also gained in the latest update.The Men’s T20I Rankings see Mohammad Waseem move up two places to 14th among batters after scoring 68 not out and Junaid Siddiqui move up 14 places to 74th among bowlers after returning four for 14 as the United Arab Emirates beat Scotland in the first T20I in Dubai.Michael Levitt of the Netherlands (up 17 places to 32nd), Najmul Hossain Shanto of Bangladesh (up two places to 33rd) and Nepal captain Rohit Paudel (up six places to 48th) are others to move up in the batting rankings while Shoriful Islam of Bangladesh (up 19 places to 39th) and Ayan Afzal Khan of the UAE (up six places to 40th) have gained in the bowling rankings.

Sports Bulletin ReportLAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board today (Wednesday) announced the schedule of the New Zealand tour to Pakistan for a five T20i cricket series, which will be kicked off on April 18 at Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi.The Blackcaps will arrive in the capital city on 14 April and will play three T20Is at the Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi on 18, 20 and 21 April. Following that, both sides will move to Lahore, where they will play the remaining two T20Is of the series on 25 and 27 April, respectively.All five matches of the T20I series will begin at 7pm PKT. Ticket prices for the series will be set at affordable rates for the fans to watch their favorite players in action. Tickets will be available at selected TCS outlets and online at pcb.tcs.com.pk. An announcement regarding ticket sales will be made in due course.The coming tour of the Blackcaps will mark their third visit to Pakistan in the span of 17 months. Previously, they had traveled to Pakistan in December 2022/January 2023 to feature in two Tests and three ODIs – part of ICC Men’s Championship. Later that year in April, they traveled to Lahore, Rawalpindi and Karachi to feature in 10 white-ball matches.Usman Wahla, Director International Cricket said: “In a testament to the unwavering camaraderie between Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and New Zealand Cricket (NZC), we are delighted to present the schedule for New Zealand men’s team tour to Pakistan 2024.“This tour symbolises the deep-rooted ties and mutual respect that define the relationship between our two cricketing nations. “Our avid cricket fans and the people of Pakistan will welcome the New Zealand team again and we hope to have yet another competitive series which is a key part of our buildup to this year’s ICC T20 World Cup.”Series schedule:April 14, 2024: New Zealand to arrive in PakistanApril 16-17, 2024: Training/practiceApril 18, 2024: 1st T20I, RawalpindiApril 20, 2024: 2nd T20I, RawalpindiApril 21, 2024: 3rd T20I, RawalpindiApril 25, 2024: 4th T20I, LahoreApril 27, 2024: 5th T20I, Lahore.

Multan Sultans trounce Quetta Gladiators by 79 runs, Mohammad Rizwan stars in Karachi Sports Bulletin ReportKARACHI: Multan Sultans overpowered Quetta Gladiators by 79 runs at National Bank Stadium, Karachi on Tuesday night and confirmed their place in the Qualifier of the HBL PSL Season 9 and will face Peshawar Zalmi on March 14, 2024 at 9 pm.Batting first, Multan scored 185-4 on the back of half-centuries by Mohammad Rizwan and Johnson Charles. Multan Sultans’ opening batters, Yasir Khan and Mohammad Rizwan could only manage a 16-run opening stand with the former caught behind for 12 on 11, with two fours, in the third over, after Gladiators opted to field first.What followed was a 52-run second-wicket stand as Usman Khan joined Rizwan in the middle to bring stability to Multan’s innings after the early wicket. In the fifth over, Rizwan hit a six while Usman hit two consecutive fours to get the scoreboard moving. Sultans ended the powerplay at 43-1.In the 10th over, Usman (21, 23b, 3x4s) was stunned by Abrar Ahmed, who bowled a magic delivery to outfox the right-hand batter. Johnson Charles, the next batter in, partnered with Rizwan for the longest partnership of the innings; yielding 68 from 43 deliveries. Charles, who contributed 32 from 19 to the partnership, played the aggressor role.In the 14th over, Rizwan brought up his 64th T20 half-century, doing so off 35 deliveries. The next two overs, which yielded 12 each, saw Rizwan hit a six while Charles powered the ball to the boundary twice. In the 17th over, Mohammad Amir dismissed Rizwan (69, 47b, 1x4, 4x6s) after he mistimed a leg-cutter, which was caught by the Quetta skipper, Rilee Rossouw.The fourth-wicket partnership between Charles and Iftikhar Ahmed propelled Multan to a comfortable total, after the two added 46 off just 18, with the last three overs yielding 42 runs. Mohammad Wasim Jnr removed Charles (53, 29b, 6x4s, 3x6s) on the fourth ball of the final over, after the batter had brought up his 36th T20 half-century off 27 balls. Iftikhar (20, 8b, 2x4s, 1x6) remained unbeaten at the other end, after pushing the Sultans total to 185-4. Amir bagged two wickets while Abrar and Wasim had one each.In return, Quetta Gladiators had a horror start to the chase as they lost four early wickets. In the third over, David Willey first trapped Jason Roy (3, 7b) leg-before on the second ball. Then, the last delivery of the over saw Saud Shakeel (14, 9b, 1x4, 1x6) being run out by Yasir who perfected his aim at the stumps from backward point, with the Quetta opener halfway down the crease.Rossouw (10, 9b, 2x4s) hit two fours in the next over to keep the scoreboard moving, however, lost his wicket on the final ball of the fifth over when Willey rattled the Quetta skipper’s stumps. Quetta finished the powerplay at 46-3. Trouble deepened when Laurie Evans (1, 2b), the next batter in, was caught by Chris Jordan at short midwicket off Abbas Afridi, leaving Gladiators 47-4.Then, Khawaja Nafay joined Omair bin Yousuf on the crease for a 26-run fifth-wicket partnership. He hit a four on the last ball of the seventh over. In the following over, Omair produced one four while Nafay smashed a six. Quetta got to 73-4 at the halfway mark. On the first ball of the 11th over, Nafay (16, 14b, 1x4, 1x6) was pinned leg-before wicket by Mohammad Ali after Multan reviewed the on-field decision.Omair managed to score 37 off 25, on the back of three fours and two maximums, before he was caught by Jordan in the 12th over, providing Usama Mir his 19th HBL PSL 9 wicket. In the next over, Akeal Hosein edged to Rizwan behind the stumps as Abbas got his second wicket of the innings. Hosein walked back for a-run-a-ball six, as the batting collapse continued. Usama rattled Amir’s (3, 6b) stumps to bring Quetta eight down in the 14th over, with only 99 runs on the board.Abrar was caught behind for a two-ball duck as Multan inched closer to joining Peshawar Zalmi in the HBL PSL 9 qualifier. Usama picked up the final wicket as Quetta were bundled up for 106, the lowest total of HBL PSL 9. Willey and Usama registered identical figures of three for 22 in four overs, while Abbas picked up two wickets. Ali also dismissed a batter.

Afghanistan outclass Ireland by 117 runs in the third match, Mohammad Nabi gets 5 wicketsSport Bulletin ReportSharjah (UAE): Afghanistan clinched the three-match tie against Ireland 2-0 after claiming a massive victory of 117 runs in the third and final One Day International contest of the series here at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Mohammad Nabi was declared the player of the match.On Wednesday, Ireland captain Paul Stirling won the toss and decided to field first. Afghanistan batters aggregated 263 for 9 runs in the allotted 50 overs. Skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi was the top scorer with an excellent innings of 69 runs off 103 balls, he hit 4 fours. Rahmanullah Gurbaz played a sparkling innings of 51 runs in 53 balls, as his innings was laced with 7 fours and 1 big six. Mohammad Nabi made 48 runs off 62 balls with the help of 4 fours, and Ibrahim Zadran contributed 22 runs off 31 balls in the team’s total, as his innings was including 3 fours. Mark Adair snared 3 batters after conceding 51 runs. Barry McCarthy got 2 for 42, Harry Tector captured 1 for 17.In reply, Ireland's team could make merely 119 runs all out in 35 overs. Captain Paul Stirling was the top scorer with 50 runs off 53 balls for Ireland, as he hit 4 fours and 2 sixes, Curtis Campher smashed 43 runs and wasted 63 balls with the help of 5 fours and 1 huge six. Mohammad Nabi grabbed 5 wickets for 17 runs while debutant Nangeyalia Kharote took 4 for 30 runs, and Fazalhuq Farooqi got 1 wicket.Summarized Scoreboard:Ireland won the toss and decided to field firstPlayer of the Match: Mohammad NabiAfghanistan (Batting) 263 for 9 runs in 50 oversHashmatullah Shahidi (69 runs, 103 balls, 4x4, 6x0), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (51 runs, 53 balls, 4x7, 6x1), Mohammad Nabi (48 runs, 62 balls, 4x3, 6x0), Ibrahim Zadran (22 runs, 31 balls, 4x3, 6x0)Ireland (Bowling)Mark Adair (3 for 51), Barry McCarthy (2 for 42), Harry Tector (1 for 17)Ireland (Batting) 199 runs all out in 35 oversPaul Stirling (50 runs, 53 balls, 4x4, 6x2), Curtis Campher ( 43 runs, 63 balls, 4x5, 6x1), Barry McCarthy (8 runs, 18 balls, 4x0, 6x1), Graham Hume (5 runs, 19 balls, 4x0, 6x0)Afghanistan (Bowling)Mohammad Nabi (5 for 17), Nangeyalia Kharote (4 for 30), Fazalhuq Farooqi (1 for 23)ODI Debut:Nangeyalia Kharote (Afghanistan), Naveed Zadran (Afghanistan)Match Officials:Umpires: Ahmed Shah Pakteen (Afghanistan), Paul Reiffel (Australia)TV Umpire: Bismillah Jan Shinwari (Afghanistan)Reserve Umpire: Izatullah Safi (Afghanistan)Match Referee: David Boon (Australia). 

Sports Bulletin ReportRAWALPINDI: The PCB will start tickets refund on March 13, 2024 for the HBL PSL 9 washout games, which were abandoned on 2 March at the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi, at designated TCS centers in Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Peshawar and Lahore.As communicated before, tickets purchased through TCS Express centers will require the buyers to present the original CNIC used for purchasing tickets, along with the physical tickets.Refunds for tickets purchased online will directly be credited to the buyers’ respective bank accounts without the provision to present physical tickets. Tickets purchased through a corporate entity will only be refunded to the corporate entity.Given below is the detail of the designated TCS centers for tickets refund. Ticket buyers can visit them from tomorrow onwards between 9 am to 4 pm.TCS Area Office Khanna, RawalpindiTCS Saddar Express Center, RawalpindiTCS Area Office I-9, IslamabadTCS Area Office, PeshawarTCS Gulberg Office, Lahore

Sports Bulletin ReportKARACHI: Peshawar Zalmi have raced to the top position on the points table, after eking out a two-run win against Karachi Kings at National Bank Stadium, Karachi on Tuesday night.Zalmi defended their 147-run total successfully, as the Kings agonizingly fell two runs short, scoring 145-5 in the allotted 20 overs. In doing so, Zalmi also registered the record for the lowest total successfully defended in HBL PSL history at Karachi.Karachi’s pursuit of the 148-run target started solidly as opening batters, James Vince and Tim Seifert, put on a 61-run opening partnership. The powerplay yielded 44 runs, with Seifert being the aggressor. Vince struggled to get off the blocks during his stay at the crease, which was cut short in the ninth over by Naveen-ul-Haq, as he returned for a sluggish 21 off 27 balls on the back of four boundaries.In the next over, Saim outfoxed Shan Masood (0, 2b) with a brilliant ball that turned just enough to hit the off-stump, leaving the batter stunned. At the halfway mark Kings required 84 with Shoaib Malik and Seifert on the crease. In the 11th over Seifert was pinned leg-before wicket against Aamir Jamal, for 41 off 30 balls, comprising eight boundaries.Shoaib and Mohammad Irfan Khan joined forces to stitch a crucial 49-run fourth-wicket partnership off 41 balls, keeping Zalmi on their toes. With 35 required off the last three overs, Naveen bowled Shoaib in the 17th over, who walked back after scoring 22 off 25 balls comprising one four.Luke Wood bowled a fine penultimate over conceding just eight and also dismissing the dangerous Kieron Pollard for a paltry one run. Aamir faced with the challenge of defending 17 runs in the last over, gave away 13 runs off the first five balls as Anwar Ali got off strike.Irfan (39 not out, 26b, 7x4s) needed to hit four off the last ball to earn a consolation win for the Kings. Aamir nailed a yorker as Irfan tried to make room while shuffling to the leg side and missed the ball, taking just one bye off it as Zalmi won the game by a mere two runs. Naveen bagged two wickets while Wood, Aamir and Saim picked up one each.Earlier, the opening duo of Babar Azam and Saim Ayub put on another show of delightful batting after Zalmi won the toss and elected to bat first. They brought up 54 runs at the end of the powerplay. Zahid Mahmood, bowling the seventh over, got rid of Saim (19, 18b, 3x4s) as he turned one prodigiously from outside off to rattle the stumps, bringing an end to the 55-run opening stand.Zalmi notched 75 runs for the loss of one wicket by the halfway mark as Babar played some fluent shots on a turning track. In the following over, Mohammad Haris (13, 11b, 2x4s) was undone by Hasan Ali as Arafat Minhas took an easy catch behind point. Left-hand batter Haseebullah (1, 5b) too failed to make his mark as Arafat bagged his maiden HBL PSL wicket with Irfan pouching the ball at deep midwicket leaving Zalmi 83-3 after 12.1 overs.In the 14th over, Babar took apart Zahid’s leg-spin by hitting him for a six and four to bring up his fifth HBL PSL 9 half-century. Later in the same over, he failed to make his ground at the non-striker’s end while attempting a second run and had to return for 51 off 46 balls, comprising five boundaries and a solitary six.On a tricky wicket, Zalmi could only manage 43 runs off the last five overs courtesy Rovman Powell’s 30 off 18 balls, on the back of three boundaries while Aamir chipped in with an unbeaten eight off seven balls. Arafat, making his HBL PSL debut, bowled the most economical spell of the tournament, returning with a wicket for just 11 runs in four overs, as Karachi bowlers conceded 147-6 in the 20 overs with Sams, Zahid and Hasan bagging one scalp each.