Twitter Reactions: James Neesham, Rovman Powell shine in Peshawar Zalmi's win over Quetta Gladiators

Peshawar Zalmi chased down 155 in 18.3 overs with four wickets in hands.

Published - 20 Feb 2023, 23:19 IST | Updated - 20 Feb 2023, 22:42 IST

13 Min Read

The Match 9 of Pakistan Super League 2023 turned out to be an enthralling affair as Quetta Gladiators and Peshawar Zalmi went head-to-head against each other. Zalmi captain Babar Azam won the toss and invited the Gladiators to bat first.

The Gladiators did not get off to a good start as openers Jason Roy and Martin Guptill added just 28 runs in the Powerplay. Guptill was dismissed by his former New Zealand teammate James Neesham for 12 off 16. Roy’s struggle also ended in the very next over as he fell prey to Usman Qadir after scoring 14 off 23. The Gladiators were in all sorts of trouble as they soon lost Mohammad Nawaz and were reeling at 37/3 at one stage.

Seeing his side in disarray, captain Sarfaraz Khan took it upon himself to bail his team out of trouble. He was involved in a 74-run stand off 50 balls with Iftikhar Ahmed for the fourth wicket. Sarfaraz was dismissed by Arshad Iqbal after scoring 39 off 30, leaving his side on 111/4.

From there on, Iftikhar (50 off 34) and Odean Smith (25 off 12) provided a terrific finish to their team, scoring 43 runs in just 19 balls together. Courtesy of their effort, the Gladiators posted a fighting total of 154/4 in their allotted 20 overs. Usman Qadir, who picked up 2/26 in four overs, was the pick of the bowlers for Zalmi.

In reply, Zalmi came out all guns blazing and looked to attack right from the word go. They continued to score at a blistering rate in their chase despite losing wickets at regular intervals. They lost the big wicket of Babar Azam in the 8th over when they were 67/4, but the incoming batters continued to score at an impressive rate. Rovman Powell and James Neesham added 46 runs for the fifth wicket in 30 balls. Powell was dismissed by Naseem Shah after scoring 36 off 23 balls.

Following Powell's wicket, Neesham continued his innings and ended up scoring 38 off 23 balls, smashing four fours and two sixes. However, he was sent back by Qais Ahmed in the 15th over. After his dismissal, Dasun Shanaka (unbeaten 16 off 16) and Wahab Riaz (unbeaten 10 off 12) batted smartly to take their side home with nine balls to spare. Mohammad Hasnain from the Gladiators bowled an incredible spell of 3/13 in four overs.

Meanwhile, here's how Twitter reacted:

cagliostro2710@TM19022

What's the reason behind not being bowled by @IftiAhmed221 in middle overs in #PSL ??@SarfarazA_54 @wwasay @Rizzvi73

10:35 PM · Feb 20, 2023

Azan Shoaib@itsAzanShoaib

Naseem hasnan ka over sa qarz utaraaa ga mulk sa🤣🤣 #PSL #PSL08

10:30 PM · Feb 20, 2023

Aftab@AGPnursery

Once baber said tu match winner h mera ... We all made fun today he proving that ... 3overs 39 runs ... #PSL #QGvPZ #PSL2023 #baber #nawaz

10:30 PM · Feb 20, 2023

Syeda Laiba Afroze@laiba_afroze

Another achievement unlocked 🔓 King 👑Babar Azam becomes the first batsman to reach 2500 runs in HBL PSL🔥💛👑 #BabarAzam𓃵 @babarazam258 #SabSitarayHumaray #HBLPSL2023 #PSL

10:26 PM · Feb 20, 2023

Anurag@anuvokkaliga

Worst league in the world has worst technical team..frustrating camera angles and review angles #psl #Pakistan

10:14 PM · Feb 20, 2023

Talha | ISLU forever@tal_h_a

This is the advantage of starting quick in the Powerplay. Even after losing 3 wickets, Peshawar Zalmi are still ahead. #QGvsPZ #PSL

10:00 PM · Feb 20, 2023

Bint-e-Arif@khan1_amber

Muhammad Husnain is Rocking🔥❤ 3 down 🙌🏻 #PSL #PZvQG

09:54 PM · Feb 20, 2023

Sayantan Bhattacharjee@Sayantan90s

Sarfaraz Ahmed is a pure entertainer. #PSL

09:45 PM · Feb 20, 2023

SPORTSBUZZINFO@Sportsbuzinfo

Jimmy Neesham is on fire today in #PSL . #PSL08 #PSL2023 #PeshawarZalmi #QuettaGladiator

10:51 PM · Feb 20, 2023

나야브❤️🇵🇰@Nayab295

Babar ka Match Winner Nawaz Babar ki hi Wicket le Gaya 😐 #HBLPSL8 #PSL8 #PSL #HBLPSL2023 #PZvsQG #PSL8 #PSL2023 #PSLPakistan

10:49 PM · Feb 20, 2023

Usamah Mahmood Khan@UsaMahmoodKhan

Poor display of batting from @TeamQuetta. What a wonderful spell from Husnain. What a talent he is. Naseem remained exceptional today as well. #QGvPZ #PZvQG #psl #PSL2023 #PSL08

11:09 PM · Feb 20, 2023

Zaidan Idrees@zaidanidrees

Entertaining match with some high quality bowling and batting. This is the best I have seen Husnain bowl. Definite change in his length (shorter) and he is looking a far more dangerous bowler. #PSL #PZvsQG

11:08 PM · Feb 20, 2023