Powell belted 64 from 34 balls, clearing the ropes four times, as Zalmi bounced back from being 2 for 3 to post an intimidating 197 for 5 in Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi: Peshawar Zalmi 197-5, Karachi Kings 173-8 - Peshawar Zalmi won by 24 runs
Rovman Powell led the way with a brutal half-century as Peshawar Zalmi turned a position of near-calamity with the bat into a commanding first-innings total, and ultimately victory over Karachi Kings.
Powell belted 64 from 34 balls, clearing the ropes four times, as Zalmi recovered from being 2 for 3 to post an intimidating 197 for 5 in Rawalpindi.
And that proved to comfortably be enough to see off the Kings' challenge, as Azmatullah Omarzai too 3 for 28 to help limit Karachi to 173 for 8 in reply.
Smith was one of three men to reach 50 in the Peshawar innings, after Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Haseebullah Khan initially laid the foundations for the rescue job.
Rovman Powell celebrates his half-century for Peshawar Zalmi against Karachi Kings in 2023 [Aamer Qureshi/AFP via Getty Images]
Rovman Powell hits a boundary for Peshawar Zalmi [Aamer Qureshi/AFP via Getty Images]
The pair came together with the score on 2 after both openers - Mohammad Haris and Babar Azam - had been dismissed without scoring, and No.3 Saim Ayub made just 1.
All three were victims of Mohammad Amir, whose standout figures of 4 for 26 were in strict contrast to many of his teammates.
And that was because, from a situation of some peril, Kohler-Cadmore and Hasebullah dug their team out of trouble. Kohler-Cadmore was more sedate in making 56 from 45 deliveries, while Hasebullah struck 50 in 29.
They shared a fourth-wicket partnership worth 82 in 7.4 overs. And then Powell took over.
Mohammad Amir in action for Karachi Kings against Peshawar Zalmi in 2023 [Aamer Qureshi/AFP via Getty Images]
Imad Wasim in action for Karachi Kings against Peshawar Zalmi in 2023 [Aamer Qureshi/AFP via Getty Images]
The West Indies international allrounder came together with Kohler-Cadmore to put on 85 in 8.3 overs, of which he made 64.
It left Karachi with an awful lot to do in the chase, and though both Matthew Wade (53) and Imad Wasim (57*) did their bit, no other Kings batsman passed 15.
Mujeeb ur Rahman claimed 2 for 28 for Peshawar.
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