On Friday, January 28, the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2021 finalists, Peshawar Zalmi, will face the 2019 champions, Quetta Gladiators, in the second match of the PSL 2022.
The match will begin at 7 p.m. PST at Karachi’s National Stadium.
Match Preview
This will be a crucial match for the Quetta Gladiators, who are looking to get off to a winning start in the competition after two successive losses in the previous two seasons. Sarfaraz and his team will gain confidence by beating the previous season’s finals.
The Gladiators, like many other franchises, have undergone a makeover and have added the missing firepower and depth in the batting and bowling areas to make them appear excellent on paper. They now have a better opportunity this year of changing their fortunes.
With the addition of Iftikhar Ahmed, Dan Lawrence, Shimron Hetmyr, James Vince, and Jason Roy to their squad, the Gladiators have bolstered their batting order.
Then there are Sohail Tanvir, a seasoned bowler, and youngsters Mohammad Hasnain and Naseem Shah.
The spin department, on the other hand, appears to be well-established, with the presence of tried-and-true Mohammad Nawaz and newcomer Noor Ahmad, with Iftikhar assisting with off-spin when needed.
Then there are players like James Faulkner and Shahid Afridi to bolster their batting later on.
Sarfaraz and his team appear to have covered all the basics on paper. It will be critical, though, for them to go out and carry out the plans on the field.
Peshawar, on the other hand, is currently one of the worst-affected franchisees due to COVID-19 infections. The COVID-19 has infected Wahab Riaz, Hazratullah Zazai, and Kamran Akmal.
In Wahab’s absence, Shoaib Malik, a seasoned pro, will lead the team against Gladiators tomorrow. Zalmi still has Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Sherfane Rutherford, Matt Parkinson, and Ben Cutting to rely on despite the absence of their key players.
Match Details
Date Thursday, 28 January 2022
Time 07:00 pm PKT
Venue National Stadium Karachi
Live Stream LINK
Squads
Quetta Gladiators Squad:
James Vince, Jason Roy, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Iftikhar Ahmed, James Faulkner, Mohammad Nawaz, Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Ben Duckett, Khurram Shehzad, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Akmal, Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, Ashar Qureshi, Ahsan Ali, and Noor Ahmed.
Peshawar Zalmi:
Hazratulah Zazai, Liam Livingstone, Wahab Riaz, Haider Ali, Sherfane Rutherford, Shoaib Malik, Hussain Talat, Saqib Mahmood, Usman Qadir, Arshad Iqbal, Kamran Akmal, Salman Irshad, Sameen Gul, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Mohammad Aamer, Sirajuddin, Ben Cutting, and Mohammad Haris.
Possible Playing XIs:
Quetta Possible XI – Ben Duckett, Ahsan Ali, Sarfaraz Ahmed (c & wk), Iftikhar Ahmed, Umar Akmal, Mohammad Nawaz, James Faulkner, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Sohail Tanvir, and Ghulam Mudassar
Peshawar Zalmi Possible XI – Mohammad Haris, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Haider Ali, Shoaib Malik (c), Sherfane Rutherford, Hussain Talat, Ben Cutting, Usman Qadir, Sameen Gul, Salman Irshad, and Mohammad Aamer
Head to Head
Overall, the two sides have come face to face 16 times in the tournament and have won eight each. They last faced each other at the same venue on 26 February 2021; Peshawar won it by three wickets.
X-Factor
From Quetta’s perspective, their pace battery is very strong, as they have two express fast bowlers in Mohammad Hasnain and Naseem Shah. If the duo play tonight, they will surely get assistance early on and can dent Zalmi’s batting line.
Sherfane Rutherford proved to be a great signing last year and he will once again be the key for Zalmi in terms of power-hitting.
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