Karachi Kings condemned to fourth straight defeat by Peshawar Zalmi

Babar Azam hits an unbeaten 90 by the 2020 champions fall short as their losing run continues at the National Stadium

Karachi: Peshawar Zalmi 173-4, Karachi Kings 164-6 - Peshawar Zalmi won by nine runs

Scorecard

Peshawar Zalmi compounded Karachi Kings' misery by condemning the 2020 champions to a fourth consecutive defeat in the Pakistan Super League.

Captain Babar Azam struck an unbeaten 90 in pursuit of 174 to win but it wasn't enough to take his team over the line.

Mohammad Umar, playing in just his third T20, took 3 for 22 as Kings were restricted to 164 for 6 from their 20 overs.

After comfortable seven, six and eight-wicket defeats in their opening three games, the nine-run deficit is by far their smallest margin of defeat this season.

But that will only act as small consolation for Babar, whose side have now slumped to five defeats in a row, a run that includes last season's loss in the playoffs under Imad Wasim.

Earlier, Zalmi had registered a credible but not insurmountable total of 173 for 4.

The evergreen Shoaib Malik, who turned 40 on Tuesday (February 1) struck his 69th T20 half-century from just 28 balls to accelerate the innings.

Hazratullah Zazai injected early impetus into the innings with a quick-fire 41, while there were contributions from Kamran Akmal (21), Haider Ali (16) and Ben Cutting (24).

Sherfane Rutherford (9*) hammered a six down the ground in the final over as Zalmi finished on a high.

^{Babar Azam's unbeaten 90 was in vain (Asif Hassan/AFP/Getty Images)}

Wickets in the first two overs from Malik and Umar immediate put Kings on the back-foot in the chase - a position they never really rebounded from.

Debutant Ian Cockbain continued his fine franchise form with a rapid 31 as part of a third-wicket stand worth 74 with Babar.

Two sixes from Aamer Yamin in the 14th over delivered by Usman Qadir kept Kings in the fight, leaving them needing 65 from 36 balls.

But one boundary came from the next four overs and even when the streak was ended, an improbable 29 was required from the final over.

Hussain Talat took the responsibility of the last set of six and though first Lewis Gregory and then Babar swatted away a quartet of fours between them it was never going to be enough.

Victory lifts Zalmi into fourth place in the table, while Kings are rock bottom after a horror start to the competition.

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Islamabad United

Karachi Kings

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Peshawar Zalmi

Quetta Gladiators