Abbas Afridi In For Mohammad Ali! Multan Sultans' Likely XI vs Peshawar Zalmi

Multan Sultans look to consolidate the top spot in the PSL 2024 standings [X.com]Multan Sultans look to consolidate the top spot in the PSL 2024 standings [X.com]

Multan Sultans face-off against Peshawar Zalmi in Match 21 of the ninth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) on Tuesday (March 5). The table toppers take on the Zalmi franchise to try and consolidate their numero uno spot in the six-team PSL 2024 points table. 

Led by Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan, the Sultans have clinched victory in six of their seven league-stage encounters. The Multan rivals took a giant stride towards securing their playoffs berth with a comprehensive victory in the last game against the Karachi Kings. 

In an amazing display, No.3 Usman Khan came out all guns blazing in the first half and dominated the bowling towards a remarkable century, finishing 106 not out off just 59 deliveries to take the Sultans to an imposing 189/3 in their 20 overs. 

Once Khan was done with his extravagant blitz, young wrist-spinner Usama Mir bagged two wickets, including the prized scalp of Kings skipper and veteran batter Shan Masood. Mir was ably supported at the task by England all-rounder David Willey (1/32) and Khushdil Shah (1/16) as the trio brought about the Kings' downfall. 

Usually, teams refrain from changing their winning combination and Sultans do have a strong case to retain theirs. However, they might also consider giving their Pakistani seamer Mohammad Ali a break after he was taken for plenty in a rare failure. Ali conceded 40 runs for his 4 overs with just a solitary breakthrough. 

It was the player's first real failure in the tournament where he is the second-highest wicket-taker for the Sultans with his 14 scalps arriving at an economy rate of just 6.81. 

Ali can be given rest to recharge his batteries and be brought back later for the business end of the PSL 2024. If the pacer is indeed on break, the Sultans might consider bringing back Abbas Afridi in a like-for-like swap. Afridi has played 5 matches of the tournament and taken 7 wickets. 


Multan Sultans Probable XI vs Peshawar Zalmi 

Mohammad Rizwan (c), Reeza Hendricks, Usman Khan (wk), Tayyab Tahir, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Chris Jordan, David Willey, Usama Mir, Abbas Afridi, Faisal Akram