Young Ali Raza makes a mark as Zalmi demolish Sultans by 120 runs

Peshawar Zalmi are finally on the board at PSL 2025, that too with the biggest margin of victory by runs in the tournament's history - 120, over Multan Sultans.

Babar Azam did not hesitate to bat first after winning the toss. The decision could have gone wrong after both Saim Ayub and he fell early, leaving the team tottering at 5 for 2 in 2.1 overs. However, a relentless counter-attack from Mohammad Haris and Tom Kohler-Cadmore revved up their innings, and they didn't slip from there.

Kohler-Cadmore struck a 30-ball 52 and Haris 45 in 21 balls, adding 79 runs together in quick time for the third wicket, to lay the platform for the lower-middle order to go big. The middle-order batters responded splendidly. Hussain Talat (37 in 29 balls), Mitchell Owen (34 in 15) and Abdul Samad (40 in 14) batted with clear intent, didn't let the intensity drop at any stage, and kept attacking. The real impetus came from Abdul Samad, who struck at a staggering 285.71.

Akif Javed was the most expensive of the bowlers, conceding 52 in his four overs, losing his lines and lengths in the 18th over when he bled 24 runs. Usama Mir erred on the shorter side and was hit for 51 runs in a forgettable spell. Michael Bracewell held his own, returning 2 for 37.

In reply, Mohammad Rizwan made his intentions clear early and biffed a tremendous slog sweep out of the park in the second over, but he fell in the fourth over, deceived by a legbreak from Saim Ayub and spooning it straight to mid-on. Things went downhill for Sultans from that point.

Shai Hope holed out at long-on in the seventh over and things got gloomier when Usman Khan ended up miscuing one on the penultimate delivery of the 11th over when at 44.

And then, Ali Raza took centre stage. The 17-year-old fast bowler was spitting fire, steaming in and clocking the high 140s, trampling over the middle order with the key wickets of Kamran Ghulam, Bracewell, Ashton Turner and Iftikhar Ahmed. The wicket of Turner, where he got the ball to jag back from a shorter length and clatter the stumps, was proof of his skill.

Ali Raza had shot to prominence after he impressed in last year's T20 World Cup and was tipped by Ian Bishop as "a superstar in the making.". Not only did he make the ball talk in the middle overs, but showed his expertise at the death by nailing the yorkers. Sultans crumbled under scoreboard pressure, and they slid to their third loss in as many games.