LAHORE: Peshawar Zalmi have qualified to play the second eliminator against Karachi Kings after defeating Quetta Gladiators by one run in a nail-biting last-ball thriller at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on Tuesday.

In a dramatic turn of events in the final over, Gladiators all-rounder Anwar Ali smashed three sixes and one four to alter the 158-run chase to three runs off one ball with only one wicket remaining. But a run-out on Mir Hamza’s last delivery Peshawar Zalmi knocking Quetta Gladiators out of the tournament.

Zalmi’s Hasan Ali was awarded Man of the Match after he picked up two wickets for 21 runs.

Speaking in the post-match ceremony, Gladiators’ skipper Sarfraz Ahmed said the team lost a winnable game. “The match was in our hands, and I feel we lost the game because of our own errors. Nawaz and I shouldn’t have been dismissed that time. If we were sensible, we could’ve even taken it to the super over, but the pressure got the better of the boys in the end.”

Gladiators suffered a series of setbacks in their chase of 158 runs as Umaid Asif removed both Mahmudullah and Rilee Rossouw within a single over. Fast bowler Wahab Riaz took the wickets of Thisara Perera and Hassan Khan on scores of 12 and O respectively.

Gladiators had a nightmarish start as they lost both openers early, after a gutsy 62 off 35 balls by Liam Dawson lifted Peshawar Zalmi to a competitive total of 157.

Hasan Ali had Asad Shafiq out on first ball.

A pumped-up Hasan Ali removed Tom Kohler-Cadmore in his second over, leaving Quetta looking shaky at 17-2.

Just as a batting collapse looked unavoidable, skipper Sarfraz Ahmed and all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz anchored Quetta’s inning. Their resistance, however, was ended in a dramatic fashion by pacer Sameen, who brought Peshawar back into the game with two wickets in two balls (Sarfraz 35 off 21, Nawaz 35 off 32) in the 10th over.

Just as Quetta appeared to bounce back with Mahmudullah and Rossouw on the crease, Umaid Asif delivered a potentially match-changing over to dismiss both the batsmen within the space of three balls.