Rawalpindi                  -          Lahore Qalandars' bid to get off the mark in the fifth edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL-5) once again came up short as they were beaten by 16 runs by Peshawar Zalmi at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Friday.

Set a 133-run target in the rain-shortened 12-overs-per-side match, the Qalandars got a decent start from their star opener Chris Lynn (30 off 15) but once he was gone, the wheels came off the run chase. The hapless Qalandars ended up losing their third straight match of the season and are now starting at the possibility of another year rooted to the bottom of the table.

Earlier, Lahore Qalandars have won the toss and as expected chose to field first in a rain-shortened affair to 12 overs, with further disruptions possible. The toss was delayed more than two hours due to poor weather in Rawalpindi before skies cleared to allow for a contest reduced by eight overs.

The pitch is the same one used from yesterday's contest between Islamabad United and Quetta Gladiators. A fresh strip had been initially prepared but became excessively damp from the rain, forcing the umpires to make a decision to revert to a previously used pitch.

Qalandars made three changes, one of them enforced as Haris Rauf picked up an injury in their loss to Islamabad United. Mohammad Faizan and Usman Shinwari have also been left out in exchange for Salman Irshad and the emerging youth pair of Dilbar Hussain and Maaz Khan. 

BRIEFS SCORES:

Peshawar Zalmi 132/7 in 12 overs (Tom Banton 34, Haider Ali 34, Dilbar Hussain 4-24, David Weise 2-16) beat Lahore Qalandars 116/6 in 12 overs (Samit Patel 34, Chris Lynn 30, Lewis Gregory 4-25).