With nearly 500 runs scored, the Pakistan Super League (PSL) match between Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators was a spectacle. While Babar Azam’s century helped his team to 240/2 in 20 overs, Quetta chased down the target with 10 balls to spare.
Rarely do you hear people criticise those who have scored hundreds. But after Babar hit a century for Peshawar Zalmi, veteran New Zealand cricketer Simon Doull took a dig at the star batter, accusing him of putting his “personal ambitions” before those of the team.
Babar led his team scoring a 65-ball 115 before Jason Roy did the unthinkable and scored 145 off 63 balls. While both Babar and Roy batted brilliantly, it was the former’s drop in scoring rate around the century mark that irritated some. Doull, who was commentating on the match, noticed the gear shift and didn’t hesitate to criticise Babar.
“Rather than putting the team first… the last little while, that’s all that been happening. Rather than looking for boundaries, still, so much firepower to come. Hundreds are brilliant, stats are great, but it has to be team first,” Doull said during the match.
Here is the viral video of Simon Doull’s commentary
Simon says what Simon seespic.twitter.com/i9wTHVRStY
— Zak (@Zakr1a) March 8, 2023
Aside from the Peshawar captain, his opening partner Saim Ayub (74 runs in 34 balls) also scored a half-century at the Pindi Club Ground. In the chase, Roy put on a one-man show, scoring 145 runs in 63 balls, including 20 boundaries and five sixes, to reach the target with 10 balls to spare. Only four wickets were taken in the entire game.
In the meantime, as the tournament nears its conclusion, teams are competing for a spot in the playoffs. Peshawar Zalmi currently stands in fourth place with four wins in eight games. On the other hand, Quetta Gladiators is out of the race to the playoffs having lost six out of their nine games.
