‘We were not up to the mark,’ says Babar Azam after Zalmi's loss to Gladiators

Peshawar Zalmi captain Babar Azam admitted that his team fell short in both batting and bowling after their heavy 64-run defeat against Quetta Gladiators in the 17th match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 10, held at the Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday.

Quetta Gladiators, after being asked to bat first, posted a solid total of 178 for 7 in their 20 overs. Mark Chapman led the scoring with 33 runs off 26 balls, including three boundaries. Saud Shakeel and Kusal Mendis also chipped in with 32 runs each, while Finn Allen gave the team a quick start with 31 runs from just 16 balls.

On the bowling side for Zalmi, Alzarri Joseph picked up three wickets and Saim Ayub claimed two.

In reply, Peshawar Zalmi’s batting lineup collapsed, managing only 114 runs in 15.2 overs. Hussain Talat stood out with a fighting 39 off 34 balls, hitting four fours and two sixes. Apart from him, only Babar Azam (12), Mohammad Haris (17), and Mitchell Owen (15) reached double figures.

Speaking after the match, Babar Azam admitted the team underperformed.

“I think we weren’t quite up to the mark in both batting and bowling,” said Babar Azam.  

“We failed to execute our plans as we should have. We’ll sit down, analyse what went wrong, and make sure we don’t repeat the same mistakes moving forward," he added. 

With this loss, Zalmi will now look to bounce back in their upcoming matches as they aim to stay in the race for the PSL 10 playoffs.