Joseph unsung as Peshawar Zalmi crush Lahore Qalandars

LAHORE, Pakistan:

West Indies fast bowler Alzzari Joseph put in a man-of-the-match performance to help lead Peshawar Zalmi to a seven-wicket win over Lahore Qalandars in their Pakistan Super League (PSL) clash at the Gaddafi Stadium on Thursday.

Opting to bowl first, Zalmi's bowlers dismantled Qalandars' batters early, reducing them to 21-4, with Joseph claiming two of the top four batters.

Sikandar Raza's fighting 52 off 37 balls lifted Lahore to 129, but Joseph's 3-15 and Luke Wood's 2-25 ensured a modest target.

Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf struck early, leaving Zalmi in a spot of bother at 40-3 in the run chase.

However, Babar Azam and Hussain Talat steadied things with Babar reaching his half-century in 37 balls.

The pair shared an unbeaten 93-run fourth-wicket partnership with Babar going on to score an unbeaten 56 and Talat sealing the win with back-to-back boundaries, finishing on 51 not out, as Zalmi triumphed with 20 balls to spare at 133-3 in 16.4 overs.

Following his player of the match award, Joseph felt compelled to share the accolade with this team, which has now secured their second win in five outings.

"I would like to dedicate this award to all my teammates, for backing me so far in this tournament. I think the support has been really good, and we're now looking forward to our next game. We're getting a bit of momentum, so it's good for us."

- CMC