5 February 2023, Bugti Stadium, Quetta — the PSL exhibition match that had everything: six sixes in an over, a 42-year-old Shahid Afridi smashing boundaries, and a 3-run finish in front of 20,000 fans. Here is the PSL exhibition match live-score style recap, over by over, of Quetta Gladiators vs Peshawar Zalmi.
Quick answer: Quetta Gladiators 184 beat Peshawar Zalmi 181/7 by 3 runs. Iftikhar Ahmed 94* (50) with six sixes in the final over off Wahab Riaz; Mohammad Haris 53 (35), Shahid Afridi 25 (17) for Zalmi. Captains: Sarfaraz Ahmed (Quetta), Babar Azam (Zalmi).
In this guide
First Innings: Quetta 184
Zalmi won the toss and bowled. Wahab Riaz gave them the dream start — Ahsan Ali and Umar Akmal dismissed in his second over — and Quetta wobbled. The rebuild came through the middle order: Khushdil Shah’s brisk 36 off 24 kept the scoreboard moving, and Iftikhar Ahmed anchored the innings, reaching his fifty and then accelerating. At the start of the final over, Quetta were competitive but not imposing. Twenty balls later, everything had changed.
The Over: Six Sixes
Wahab Riaz to bowl the 20th. Iftikhar Ahmed on strike, 94 not out in the making. What followed is now PSL folklore: 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6 — six consecutive sixes, 36 runs in the over, Wahab’s figures in ruins. Iftikhar finished 94 not out off 50 balls, and Quetta finished on 184 — a total transformed from par to imposing in six deliveries. Only a handful of players in T20 history — Yuvraj Singh, Herschelle Gibbs (in ODIs), and a select few others — have hit six sixes in an over. Iftikhar joined them in an exhibition.
The Chase: Zalmi 181/7
Chasing 185, Zalmi exploded: Babar Azam and Mohammad Haris put on a blistering opening stand, Haris smashing 53 off 35 with stunning strokeplay. The stadium fell silent — until the moment it had waited 26 years for. Shahid Afridi, 42, walked in at No. 3 to a wall of “Boom Boom” chants, middled his first ball for four, and raced to 25 off 17. At 109/1 after 10 overs, Zalmi needed 76 off 60 with nine wickets in hand — cruising.
The 3-Run Finish
Then Quetta’s bowlers struck back. Wickets fell in clusters through the middle and death overs; the required rate crept past 12, then 14. Afridi’s cameo ended, Haris’s assault was a memory, and the lower order couldn’t find the boundary when it mattered. Zalmi closed on 181/7 — three runs short. Bugti Stadium erupted. Quetta had won cricket’s return to their city by the width of a single boundary. For the full context of the day, see our complete results and records — and if a future exhibition is announced, our how-to-watch guide.
Frequently asked questions
What was the score of the PSL exhibition match 2023?
Quetta Gladiators 184 beat Peshawar Zalmi 181/7 by 3 runs, at Bugti Stadium Quetta on 5 February 2023.
Who scored the most runs in the exhibition match?
Iftikhar Ahmed — 94 not out off 50 balls for Quetta, including six sixes in the final over off Wahab Riaz.
How did Shahid Afridi perform?
Afridi, 42, scored 25 off 17 balls batting at No. 3 for Peshawar Zalmi, starting with a boundary off his first delivery.
