Peshawar Zalmi on Tuesday defeated Lahore Qalandars by 35 runs during the 23rd match of the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) at the Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi.

Earlier, Zalmi opted to bat first against Qalandars after winning the toss. 

Zalmi’s opening pair of Babar Azam and Saim Ayub took the attack to the opposition as the duo stitched 107 runs in 66 balls.

Saim looked in great touch against a world-class bowling attack of the Qalandars as he played some stunning shots to all parts of the ground.

The left-hander reached his fifty in 26 balls with the help of seven fours and two sixes.

However, Saim was dismissed by Rashid Khan after scoring 68 runs in 36 balls.

Soon after, Mohammad Haris (9) became Rashid’s second wicket after he top-edged a sweep shot with Sikandar Raza completing a simple catch at the third man.

Despite bagging two wickets, Rashid conceded 41 runs in his full quota of four overs.

Babar was dismissed after scoring 50 runs in 41 balls with Haris Rauf taking his first wicket of the match. The right-handed smacked four fours and two sixes.

Tom Kohler-Cadmore provided impetus at the backend of the innings with 36 runs in 16 balls.

Shaheen Afridi was the pick of the bowlers for Lahore with figures of 4-31 in four overs. Peshawar lost eight wickets in the last five overs while scoring 50 runs in the process.

Qalandars are currently at the top of the points table and have already qualified for the playoffs of PSL 8. The defending champions have 12 points after seven matches.

Meanwhile, Zalmi are at fourth position on the table with six points after as many games. A win for the Babar Azam-led unit today will significantly improve their chances of qualification for the playoffs.