Shaheen Shah Afridi became the first bowler in PSL history to clean-bowl 50 batters, achieving the milestone against Peshawar Zalmi in their last group stage game.
James Vince became the 50th bowled victim of the left-arm pacer in the tournament, also marking his 100th dismissal of a right-handed batters in PSL cricket.
Shaheen dismissed Vince in the second over with a brilliant outswinging yorker, clean-bowling him for 10 off seven balls in the batting powerplay.
The Babar Azam-led Peshawar Zalmi reached 134 for three after 15.3 overs, with Michael Bracewell unbeaten on 52 and Iftikhar Ahmed newly arrived at the crease.
The defending champions Lahore Qalandars won the toss and chose to bowl first at their home ground, looking to restrict Peshawar before their own batting effort.
Captain Babar Azam fell for 59 runs off 45 balls in the 15th over, bowled by Haris Rauf via a slower delivery that cut back sharply.
Babar Azam and Michael Bracewell added a vital partnership after Peshawar Zalmi lost two early wickets, steadying the innings with composed, measured batting.
Bracewell brought up his first ever PSL half-century in the 14th over, sweeping a short delivery from Ubaid Shah over deep backward square leg.
Babar Azam reached his own half-century in over 13, another in a consistent string of fifties he has recorded for Peshawar Zalmi this season.
The partnership between Babar and Bracewell produced 50 runs together, providing Peshawar zalmi with a platform after their top order lost two early wickets.
What Lahore Qalandars must do
The defending champions must first defeat Peshawar Zalmi in the ongoing match to keep their playoff qualification hopes alive and in their own hands.
After defeating the unbeaten, they must then rely on Hyderabad Kingsmen either losing their final match tomorrow or not winning by a large enough margin.
Currently, the net run rate of newly-added franchise sits approximately 80 runs behind Lahore, meaning the exact threshold depends on today’s winning margin.
If the shaheen Shah Afridi-led side win by a bigger margin today, Hyderabad Kingsmen will need an even larger victory tomorrow to overtake them on net run rate.
