KARACHI: Islamabad United bowlers demolished the opponents' top-order batting line-up by dropping Peshawar Zalmi's four wickets for just 35 runs in the fifth match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) at the National Stadium in Karachi.
Earlier, United won the toss and elected to field against Zalmi.
United captain Shadab Khan said that the four Pakistani cricketers in the team are all in action in today's match.
Also, Peshawar Zalmi captain Wahab Riaz has rejoined the squad after completing a mandatory isolation period for COVID-19.
Yellow Storm were dealt a major blow after their key players tested positive for the coronavirus, forcing them to make changes to the playing XI ahead of the first match on Friday.
Islamabad United and Peshawar Zalmi have faced each other 16 times in the entire PSL history so far. In this case, Zalmi dominates as they have won eight out of 16 matches while United claimed seven out of seven, as one match was abandoned.
Here at the National Stadium, the two teams faced each other three times, with Zalmi victorious in two matches, while United triumphed over their opposition once. This is Islamabad United's first match in this event.
Earlier, Zalmi did a fine job beating the Gladiators by five wickets as they chased down the target of 191 runs with only two balls to spare. Shoaib Malik (48*) and Hussain Talat (52) gave Zalmi victory with their positive batting.
Islamabad United, who won the title in 2016 and 2018, are a dangerous side on paper. He is led by the country's finest all-rounder Shadab Khan, who has vast experience of playing in T20 leagues across the world.
Playing XI:
Peshawar Zalmi: Wahab Riaz (Captain), Tom Koehler-Cadmore (WK), Yasir Khan, Haider Ali, Shoaib Malik, Hussain Talat, Sherfane Rutherford, Ben Cutting, Sohail Khan, Pat Brown, Usman Qadir.
Islamabad United: Shadab Khan (c), PR Sterling, Eddie Hales, Mubashir Khan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Azam Khan (wk), Asif Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Hasan Ali, Merchant de Lange.