David Warner’s composed half-century and a crucial all-round performance from Khushdil Shah powered Karachi Kings to a nail-biting two-wicket victory over Peshawar Zalmi in their final home game of the tournament.
Chasing 149, the Kings appeared in control for most of the innings, thanks to Warner’s steady 60 off 47 balls. However, a late collapse nearly derailed the chase, leaving Karachi needing nine runs in the final over with only two wickets in hand. Calm under pressure, Khushdil and Hasan Ali struck a boundary each off part-time bowler Hussain Talat to seal a hard-fought win.
Zalmi’s defense of their total started strongly, with Luke Wood removing Tim Seifert on the first ball and following up with James Vince in his next over. Young pacer Ali Raza added to the pressure, dismissing Saad Baig with a sharp delivery. Despite the early setbacks, Warner’s resilience and a brief counter-attack from Mohammad Nabi kept Karachi’s required run rate within reach during the powerplay.
Though Zalmi tightened the screws in the middle overs, Warner and Nabi broke free, with Warner dispatching Saim Ayub and Raza for four boundaries in quick succession. Nabi chipped in with a six and a boundary before falling during his aggressive cameo.
With 44 needed off the final six overs, Warner’s presence gave Karachi the edge. But his dismissal by Wood reignited Zalmi’s hopes, and further wickets from Abbas Afridi and Aamer Jamal created a tense finish. Still, Zalmi had run out of frontline bowlers, and Talat’s gentle medium pace wasn’t enough to prevent defeat.
Earlier, Kings controlled the first innings well. Mir Hamza struck early to remove Saim Ayub, and Zalmi captain Babar Azam endured a scratchy stay at the crease, surviving an overturned LBW and a dropped catch before eventually falling to Khushdil for 46 off 41 balls.
Khushdil, who finished with figures of 3 for 20, was instrumental with the ball, removing the dangerous Tom Kohler-Cadmore and later striking a key blow to end Babar’s innings just as Zalmi looked to rebuild. Mohammad Haris attempted to lift the scoring with a brisk 28, and a short burst from Alzarri Joseph helped push the total to 147 for 8.
But in the end, it wasn’t enough. Karachi Kings did just enough in both innings to secure two valuable points in a contest that went down to the wire.
