England opener Jason Roy pulled off a miraculous run-chase for Quetta Gladiators in the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) on a record-breaking night against the Peshawar Zalmi. Who would have thought that a 240-run total would look like 20-25 runs short? But, Roy’s brilliance and belligerence made it look like that as the Gladiators chased the humongous total down in just 18.2 overs. Roy stayed unbeaten on 145 off just 63 balls smashing 20 fours and five sixes as Gladiators registered their third win of the tournament.
Peshawar Zalmi got off to a sensational start with the openers Saim Ayub and Babar Azam stitching a mammoth partnership of 162 runs off just 81 balls. However, after Ayub’s dismissal, the Zalmi slowed down and even though Babar got to his century, he played a few balls conservatively near his milestone that was noted by Simon Doull on air as well. Rovaman Powell scored 35 off just 18 balls, however, it seemed like the Gladiators had made a little comeback even though the total was 240.
But it seemed, Jason Roy, who is fresh off an ODI century in Bangladesh had other ideas as he gave the Zalmi bowlers an absolute hammering. It felt like Roy had decided that he will chase all those runs alone and didn’t need anybody else. Mohammad Hafeez was unbeaten on 41 off 18 but Roy was there from start to finish. Roy notched up the highest individual score in the PSL history while the Gladiators’ run chase of 241 was the highest in PSL, second-best in domestic T20s and fourth-best in T20s overall.
Highest successful run-chases in T20s
| Team | Opposition | Target | Score | Year |
| Australia | New Zealand | 244 | 245-5 | 2018 |
| Bulgaria | Serbia | 243 | 246-4 | 2022 |
| SKN Patriots | Jamaica Tallawahs | 242 | 242-6 | 2019 |
| Quetta Gladiators | Peshawar Zalmi | 241 | 243-2 | 2023 |
| West Indies | South Africa | 232 | 236-6 | 2015 |
Highest totals in PSL
247/2 – Islamabad United vs Peshawar Zalmi (2021)
245/2 – Multan Sultans vs Quetta Gladiators (2022)
243/2 – Quetta Gladiators vs Peshawar Zalmi (2023)
241/3 – Lahore Qalandars vs Peshawar Zalmi (2023)
240/2 – Peshawar Zalmi vs Quetta Gladiators (2023)
Highest individual scores in PSL
145* (63) – Jason Roy (QG vs PZ, 2023)
127* (59) – Colin Ingram (KK vs QG, 2019)
117* (60) – Cameron Delport (IU cs LQ, 2019)
117 (62) – Sharjeel Khan (IU vs PZ, 2016)
117 (67) – Martin Guptill (QG vs KK, 2023)
While the Gladiators are out of the qualification race, Zalmi were subjected to their fourth loss of the tournament and are currently in the fourth spot. The Babar Azam-led side will have to pull up its socks to ensure that they don’t leave it till the end.
