Srinagar: Peshawar Zalmi captain Babar Azam blamed poor fielding and dropping catches for the defeat against Lahore Qalandars in the PSL 2025 league matches that resulted in Zalmi been knocked out of tournament.
Batting first Lahore total of 149/8 in 13 overs, courtesy of experienced opener Fakhar Zaman’s half-century.
Chasing a daunting 150-run target, Zalmi’s batting unit could only accumulate 123/8 and thus succumbed to a campaign-ending defeat.
The defeat marked a new low for Peshawar Zalmi as they failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in the history of the league.
“Overall, we knew that it would be a high-scoring one. We didn’t bowl well and struggled with our execution in this game too,” Babar said after the match.
“The impact of dropping catches was huge. If you drop catches, the other team will dominate. We expected them to score 130, but the score went to 149. I like to bat in any position, but I always try to keep my batting position as per the team’s demand,” he added.
Babar Azam then asserted that Zalmi’s inability to build partnerships in the first six overs barred them from executing their plans before naming youngsters Ali Raza and Maaz Sadaqat as bright prospects.
We lacked in building partnerships in the first six overs. We simply couldn’t execute well. Ali Raza and Maaz Sadaqat are good prospects. They have played Under-19 and First Class, and I hope they do well for Pakistan.”