Openers, Abrar star as Quetta Gladiators thump Peshawar Zalmi

Quetta Gladiators made a thumping start to their PSL 2025 campaign with a commanding 80-run win over Peshawar Zalmi in Rawalpindi. A blistering 88-run opening stand between Finn Allen and Saud Shakeel powered the Gladiators to 216, before legspinner Abrar Ahmed led the way with a four-wicket haul as Zalmi crumbled to 136 with nearly five overs to spare.

It was a dominant win for the Gladiators in a clash between two teams that reached the playoffs last season. Put in to bat, the Gladiators flew out of the blocks through Shakeel and Allen, both finding early boundaries off Saim Ayub and Mohammad Ali. The real acceleration came in the fourth over, when Shakeel took apart Alzarri Joseph for 16 runs with a sequence that included a drive through extra cover, a lap-scooped six over fine leg, and a steer past point.

The openers added 65 in the PowerPlay, facing 18 balls each. Shakeel edged ahead by two runs, but Allen stole the spotlight in the seventh over, launching Sufiyan Muqeem for three sixes and a four to reach a 23-ball fifty. The over ended on a sour note, though, as Allen top-edged a slog sweep off a wrong 'un to fall for 53.

Zalmi pulled things back after that, conceding just 35 runs in the next five overs with only two sixes, both by Hasan Nawaz. Shakeel reached his fifty in 35 balls and followed up with a six off Mohammad Ali, but fell soon after for 59 (42) to Ali Raza. Nawaz departed five balls later, cutting Joseph straight to sweeper-cover with the score at 158/3 in 16.1 overs.

But any hopes Zalmi had of keeping Quetta under 200 were dashed quickly. Kusal Mendis walked in and struck a six and four off his first three balls, finishing unbeaten on 35 off just 14. Rilee Rossouw chipped in with a 10-ball 21 as the Gladiators plundered 58 runs in the final four overs to post 216.

Zalmi's chase never got going. Mohammad Amir removed Babar Azam for a duck in the opening over, and though Saim Ayub and Mohammad Haris attempted a brief counterattack, Abrar's introduction in the fourth over tilted the game firmly in Quetta's favour. First, he reacted quickly to take a return catch off Haris. Two balls later, Tom Kohler-Cadmore backed away and couldn't get under a fuller delivery, his mistimed shot went straight to mid-off.

Ayub held firm at one end and found support from Hussain Talat in a quick 63-run partnership. But once Talat fell for 35 (19) in the 11th over, the innings unravelled rapidly. Zalmi lost 6 for 24 in 13 balls, with Abrar finishing with 4 for 42. Mitchell Owen briefly entertained with four sixes in a 12-ball 31, but Amir returned to wrap things up with his second scalp, capping off a dominant performance from the Gladiators.

Brief scores: Quetta Gladiators 216/3 in 20 overs (Saud Shakeel 59, Finn Allen 53; Ali Raza 1-31) beat Peshawar Zalmi 136 in 15.1 overs (Saim Ayub 50; Abrar Ahmed 4-42) by 80 runs.