Hardie stars with ball and bat to lead Peshawar to first PSL cricket title since 2017

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — Aaron Hardie’s brilliant all-round performance led Peshawar Zalmi to its first Pakistan Super League cricket title since 2017 with a five-wicket win over newcomer Hyderabad Kingsmen in the final on Sunday.

Hardie grabbed 4-27 to bowl out Hyderabad for a below-par 129 all out in 18 overs with Saim Ayub (54) scoring a fighting half century. Hardie then hit a fluent 56 not out off 39 balls and anchored Peshawar to 130-5 in 15.2 overs in front of a packed crowd at Gaddafi Stadium.

“It’s a very big achievement for me, for Peshawar Zalmi and all the fans,” said Peshawar captain Babar Azam after winning his first PSL title as skipper. “Throughout the tournament we’ve performed really well as a team … every player executed the plans they were given in batting, bowling, and fielding. Our plan was to go match by match.”

Peshawar, which won the toss and chose to chase, had slumped to 40-4 inside the first five overs after losing tournament top run-scorer Babar for a golden duck while Mohammad Haris, Kusal Mendis and Michael Bracewell also fell for single-digit scores.

But Hardie, who smashed nine fours, then combined in a match-winning stand of 85 runs with Abdul Samad (48), who missed out on his half century before holing out in the deep when Peshawar needed only five runs for victory.

“It was just a great game of cricket,” Hardie said. “Kingsmen came out of the blocks really hard. They’ve certainly had a lot of momentum from the last couple of games and they carried that in, but I’m really proud of the way the boys were able to fight back.”

Peshawar was favorite for the title after it lost only one game in the tournament with Babar, who scored two centuries, equaling Fakhar Zaman's PSL record of 588 runs in one edition of the tournament.

Hyderabad had a productive power play of 69-2 despite Hardie having captain Marnus Labuschagne (20) caught behind of a rising delivery and Maaz Sadaqat’s early aggression was cut short to just 11 runs when he half-heartedly pulled pace bowler Mohammad Basit to deep backward square leg in the first over.

However, Hyderabad lost momentum and crashed to 73-6 in the space of nine balls after the power play for just two runs.

The slide began when Usman Khan, coming into the final with half centuries in the last three successive games, was trapped leg before wicket by the tournament’s leading wicket-taker Sufyan Moqim (1-23).

Irfan Khan and Kusal Perera were run out to some sharp fielding by Bracewell and between those dismissals Glenn Maxwell was undone by Nahid Rana's (2-22) pace and got caught first ball while going for a pull against the Bangladesh fast bowler.

Ayub stretched the total beyond the 100-run mark with a knock of 54 off 50 balls before he fell in Hardie’s last over as he top-edged a pull to mid-on before the fast bowler wrapped up the innings by having No. 11 batter Akif Javed caught behind.

“As a batting group, we probably left a few runs out there,” Labuschagne said. “We showed once again that belief in the side and what we can do, putting them four for 40, but just not enough runs on the board tonight.”

Hyderabad had a fairytale run in the tournament when it came back strongly after losing its first four league games and also knocked out both former champions Multan Sultans and Islamabad United in the playoffs.

“Tonight hurts,” Labuschagne said. "But reflecting on what an amazing tournament we’ve put together, coming from four losses to winning four in a row, getting bowled out for 80 then winning by 100, and then winning two games to get into the final. We’ve made so many great memories and I’m just so proud of the team, it’s been an awesome effort.”

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

Fireworks explode at the Gaddafi Stadium on the end of the Pakistan Super League final cricket match between Peshawar Zalmi and Hyderabad Kingsmen, in Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Peshawar Zalmi's Aaron Hardie, left, celebrates with Farhan Yousuf after winning the Pakistan Super League final cricket match against Hyderabad Kingsmen, in Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Officials and players of Peshawar Zalmi celebrates as they pose for photo with trophy after winning the Pakistan Super League final cricket match against Hyderabad Kingsmen, in Lahore, Pakistan, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Peshawar Zalmi's skipper Babar Azam, left, receives winning trophy from Pakistan's Interior Minister and Chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board Mohsin Naqvi on the of the Pakistan Super League final cricket match against Hyderabad Kingsmen, in Lahore, Pakistan, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Fireworks explode at the Gaddafi Stadium in a ceremony before start of the Pakistan Super League final cricket match between Peshawar Zalmi and Hyderabad Kingsmen, in Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

House full massage displays on the big screen during the Pakistan Super League final cricket match between Peshawar Zalmi and Hyderabad Kingsmen, in Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Hyderabad Kingsmen's Saim Ayub plays a shot during the Pakistan Super League final cricket match between Peshawar Zalmi and Hyderabad Kingsmen, in Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Peshawar Zalmi's Abdul Samad, right, celebrates with Aaron Hardie after hitting a six during the Pakistan Super League final cricket match between Peshawar Zalmi and Hyderabad Kingsmen, in Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Peshawar Zalmi's Aaron Hardie reacts during the Pakistan Super League final cricket match between Peshawar Zalmi and Hyderabad Kingsmen, in Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A cargo ship near the Strait of Hormuz said it was attacked by multiple small craft, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center reported on Sunday, the latest in at least two dozen attacks in and around the strait since the Iran war began.

Meanwhile, Tehran said it was reviewing the U.S. response to its latest proposal on ending the war but made clear these were not nuclear negotiations.

All crew on the unidentified northbound cargo ship were safe after the attack off Sirik, Iran, east of the strait, the British monitor said. Iranian officials have asserted that they control the strait and that ships not affiliated with the United States or Israel can pass if they pay a toll, challenging the freedom of navigation guaranteed by international law.

Iran denied an attack, the semiofficial Iranian outlets Fars and Tabnak reported, and said a passing ship had been stopped for a documents check as part of monitoring.

The monitor said it was the first reported attack in the area since April 22. Tehran has effectively closed the strait by attacking and threatening ships, and the threat level in the area remains critical.

Iranian patrol boats, some powered only by twin outboard motors, are small, nimble and hard to detect. U.S. President Donald Trump last month ordered the U.S. military to “shoot and kill” small Iranian boats that deploy mines in the strait.

The fragile three-week ceasefire appears to be holding, though Trump on Saturday told journalists that further strikes remained a possibility.

Tehran is reviewing the U.S. response to its latest proposal, Iran’s judiciary Mizan news agency cited Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei as saying.

But “at this stage, we have no nuclear negotiations,” Baghaei said. Iran’s nuclear program and enriched uranium have long been the central issue in tensions with the U.S., but Tehran would rather address it later.

Iran’s proposal wants other issues resolved within 30 days and aims to end the war rather than extend the ceasefire, according to Iran’s state-linked media.

Trump on Saturday said he was reviewing the proposal but expressed doubt it would lead to a deal, adding on social media that “they have not yet paid a big enough price for what they have done" in the nearly 50 years since the Islamic Revolution there.

Iran’s 14-point proposal calls for the U.S. lifting sanctions on Iran, ending the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports, withdrawing forces from the region and ceasing all hostilities, including Israel’s operations in Lebanon, according to the semiofficial Nour News and Tasnim agencies, which have close ties to Iran's security organizations.

Iran sent its proposal via Pakistan, which hosted face-to-face talks last month between Iran and the United States.

Pakistan's prime minister, foreign minister and army chief continue to encourage the U.S. and Iran to speak directly, according to two officials in Pakistan who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Also on Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke with his counterpart in Oman, which oversaw previous rounds of talks before the war, and in Brazil and Spain.

Trump has offered a plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, where about a fifth of the world’s trade in oil and natural gas typically passes, along with fertilizer badly needed by farmers around the world.

Iran's grip on the strait, imposed after the U.S. and Israel launched the war on Feb. 28, has shaken global markets.

The British military monitor on Sunday said it had received reports that ships near Ras al-Khaimah, the northernmost emirate in the United Arab Emirates and close to the strait, have received radio warnings to move from anchorages. It was not clear who sent the VHF messages.

Tehran “will not back down from our position on the Strait of Hormuz, and it will not return to its prewar conditions,” Iran’s deputy parliament speaker, Ali Nikzad, said Sunday while visiting port facilities on strategic Larak Island.

The U.S. has warned shipping companies they could face sanctions for paying Iran in any form, including digital assets, to transit the strait safely.

Meanwhile, the U.S. naval blockade since April 13 is depriving Tehran of oil revenue it needs to shore up its ailing economy. The U.S. Central Command on Sunday said 49 commercial ships have been told to turn back.

“We think that they’ve gotten less than $1.3 million in tolls, which is a pittance on their previous daily oil revenues,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News on Sunday. He said Iran's oil storage is rapidly filling up and "they’re going to have to start shutting in wells, which we think could be in the next week.”

On Sunday, the second day of Iran's working week, the rial weakened further against the U.S. dollar. In Tehran’s Ferdowsi Street, the capital’s main currency exchange hub, the dollar was trading at 1,840,000 rials.

Analysts say there is a strong possibility the currency will slip further.

The rial was trading at 1.3 million to the dollar in December, a record low at the time, and triggered widespread protests over the worsening economy. Markets in Tehran remain unstable, with prices of some goods rising daily.

According to reports in Iranian media, several factories have not renewed contracts for workers after the Iranian new year in March, and significant numbers have lost their jobs.

Yousef Pezeshkian, the son and adviser of President Masoud Pezeshkian, wrote on Telegram that both the United States and Iran see themselves as the winner of the war and are unwilling to back down.

Lidman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel, and Anna from Lowville, New York. Associated Press writers Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, and Munir Ahmed in Islamabad contributed to this report.

A cleric walks around Marvi old market, in Tehran, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

People walk as Iranian flags hang in the Grand Bazaar in Tehran, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

People view rugs at the Grand Bazaar in Tehran, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

People walk through Tehran's historic Grand Bazaar, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A woman reacts to the camera at Tehran's historic Grand Bazaar, Iran, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A woman looks at jewelry in the window of a gold shop at Tehran's historic Grand Bazaar, Iran, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

An Emirati patrol boat, left, is near a tanker anchored in the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from a coastal road near Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates, Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

A child holds an Iranian flag through the window of a vehicle in northern Tehran, Iran, Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A groom and bride ride on their motorbike in northern Tehran, Iran, Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Vehicles drive past a billboard with graphic showing Strait of Hormuz and sewn lips of U.S. President Donald Trump in a square in downtown Tehran, Iran, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)