Babar Azam has attributed the loss of PSL 9 against Islamabad United to the team's "ordinary" bowling.

 
        Peshawar Zalmi captain Babar Azam speaks after the March 16, 2024 PSL match against Islamabad United.

        Peshawar Zalmi captain Babar Azam attributed his team's defeat against Islamabad United in the second eliminator of PSL season nine to their subpar bowling performance.

        Babar spoke after the team's loss and said, "I think we were in a good position after the first 10 overs. However, our bowling performance after that was very poor. We weren't up to the mark and we thought we had already won the match."

        "Despite the loss, Babar praised the outstanding partnership between Imad Wasim and Haider Ali, which proved to be the turning point of the match. He also expressed his gratitude to the fans for their unwavering support and vowed to come back stronger. During the match, United had a rough start, losing three wickets in the first four overs of their chase to reach Zalmi's 186-run target. Despite this, Martin Guptill's brief but impressive performance of 34 runs off 21 balls, including five boundaries and a six, proved that United was still a formidable team. 

        

In light of this, Babar urged his team to learn from their mistakes and focus on improving their performance for the next match. With the support of their loyal fans, Babar remains confident that the Peshawar Zalmi team will rise to the occasion and emerge victorious in the next match.