LAHORE: A gutsy 62 off 35 balls by Liam Dawson lifted Peshawar Zalmi to a competitive total of 157 in the first elimination match of Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2018 against Quetta Gladiators at the Gaddafi Stadium.

Peshawar had a wobbly start, losing in-form Kamran Akmal for a three-ball duck to Rahat Ali, after Quetta opted to bowl first in swinging conditions.

West Indian Andre Fletcher was dismissed soon after for 1, by Mir Hamza. But Tamim Iqbal and Mohammad Hafeez led Peshawar’s recovery, taking the team past 50 without any further loss before Hafeez was bowled by Mahmudullah for 25 off 14.

Peshawar were sent reeling when Tamim dashed down the pitch, only to be caught by a fumbling Kohler-Cadmore in the deep for 27 off 29.

Perera took the night’s second great catch to send Saad Nasim back to the dugout for 9 off 13, as Peshawar struggled at 86-5.

Dawson’s resistance, however, steadied Peshawar, as he smashed 50 off just 29 balls to end Quetta’s dominance in the game.

Skipper Sammy, who walked out to bat to a standing ovation from the crowd, struggled to score, falling to Rahat Ali for 2 off 5 balls.

Two balls later, Rahat Ali dismissed Dawson, finishing with 4 wickets from 16 runs. Perera took 2 wickets in return for 24 runs.

Mohammad Nawaz, Mir Hamza, Hassan Khan, and Mahmudullah took a wicket each.

Peshawar Zalmi

Head coach: Mohammad Akram

Captain: Darren Sammy

Playing XI: DJG Sammy (c), Kamran Akmal, Tamim Iqbal, ADS Fletcher, Mohammad Hafeez, Saad Nasim, LA Dawson, Hasan Ali, Wahab Riaz, Umaid Asif, Sameen Gul

Quetta Gladiators

Head coach: Moin Khan

Captain: Sarfraz Ahmed

Playing XI: Sarfraz Ahmed (c), T Kohler-Cadmore, Asad Shafiq, Mahmudullah, RR Rossouw, NLTC Perera, Anwar Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Hassan Khan, Rahat Ali, Mir Hamza

Fan frenzy

Despite some light rain, fans were undeterred in their determination to watch the match at the Gaddafi Stadium.

The match marks the return of PSL action to Lahore after the historic city successfully hosted last year’s final in front of a roaring crowd of thousands.

Today’s encounter is a do-or-die for both: the losing team will get eliminated from the competition, while the winning team will play Karachi Kings in Lahore tomorrow (March 21).

Both Peshawar and Quetta have won 5 and lost 5 matches in this season’s league stage, but Peshawar edged out Quetta on Net Run Rate to get the third spot on the points table.