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Shadab Khan-led Islamabad United lost the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2023 first eliminator but the leg-spinner managed to set social media ablaze with his bold prediction during the game. Shadab had trust in his skills and predicted on the stump mic that he will get Peshawar Zalmi captain Babar Azam’s wicket in the over. Shadab managed to do exactly that and dismiss set batter Azam with a googly.
The incident took place in the 13th over of Zalmi’s innings. On the first ball, Azam took a single through point and got to the non-striker end. Shadab on his way back to the mark picked up the zing bail on the ground and placed it on the stumps. That’s when he made the prediction.
In the same over, he got hit for a six and a four by Mohammad Haris. However, he stayed true to his word when Azam got on the strike. Azam was beaten by Shadab as he played on the back foot but could not connect. The ball hit him on the pads and the umpire raised his finger. He scored 64 runs from 39 deliveries including 10 fours.
Shadab was expensive as he leaked 40 runs from his quota of four overs. But, he finished the spell with the wicket of Zalmi skipper. Zalmi were 137/3 at the time of Azam's wicket. They lost wickets in the slog overs and Tom Kohlder-Cadmore struggled to score. Zalmi ended up posting 183/8.
In the end, Azam had the last laugh as Islamabad United suffered a middle-order collapse and lost the game by 12 runs. United skipper scored an unbeaten 26 off just 12 deliveries but it was not enough to get his side over the line.
“Our body language wasn't good in the first 10-13 overs and that cost us the game today. We qualified for the playoffs. We didn't play the perfect game as a team. We could have finished in the top-two but we didn't play smart cricket,” Shadab said in the post-match presentation.
Zalmi will now face Shaheen Afridi’s Lahore Qalandars in the second eliminator at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.
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