PSL 2021: 3 more players test Covid-19 positive, Dan Christian pulls out of tournament

WI vs SL | 1st T20I: Kieron Pollard hits six sixes in one over, Akila Dananjaya takes hattrick

Kieron Pollard has hit six sixes in an over and became the only second batsmen to hit all balls of an over the fence in international T20 cricket after Yuvraj Singh. He smashed Sri Lanka’s spinner Akhila Dhananjaya to all parts of the ground in the sixth over of the first T20I between Sri Lanka and West Indies at Coolidge. He became only the third batsmen in international cricket to hit as many sixes in one over after Harshelle Gibbs and Yuvraj. Interestingly, Dhananjaya had taken a hattrick in his previous over dismissing Evin Lewis, Chris Gayle and Nicholas Pooran on three consecutive deliveries in the third over of the West Indies.

To fight Covid-19, PCB decides to vaccinate all members inside the PSL 6 bio-bubble

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to fight the menace of Covid-19 plaguing the Pakistan Super League by administering anti-Covid vaccines to all the members of the bio-bubble. In a press release issued by the boar, it also informed that the shots will be administered on Thursday, 05th March itself. The PCB would become the first cricket board to use the vaccine that produces protection against the Covid-19 virus. The board however clarified that no one will be forced to take the vaccine and it would solely be the decision of the individual whether he wants to get vaccinated or not. “In line with our duty of care policy, we have acquired a small allocation of SARS-Coronavirus Vaccine, which will be offered to all those inside the bio-secure environment created for the HBL Pakistan Super League 6,” PCB Chief Executive Wasim Khan said. “ The vaccinations will be administered on Thursday morning by qualified health workers, strictly in line with government protocols,’ he added saying that the health of the players is the priority of the PCB and PSL.

PSL 6: Quetta breaks the streak as Qais Ahmad’s brilliant spell downs Multan

The Pakistan Super League’ sixth edition’s streak of 'teams chasing and winning the game’ was finally broken after 13 games. It was broken by a team and in a match that nobody believed could happen. Quetta gladiators, who had lost their previous four games even after scoring as high as 198, went on to defend 176 against the Multan Sultans, defeating the Mohammad Rizwan led side by 22 runs. Qais Ahmad was the hero of the game for Quetta with his spell of 3-21 in four overs at the National Stadium in Karachi. Ahmad, 20, was included in the side for the first time after the opening match debacle phenomenal with his variations. The Afghan leggie stopped the flow of runs with his leg break and cunning googlies, causing the batsmen to go for unconventional options, making them commit mistakes, and in turn giving away their wickets. In his four overs, Ahmad got the important scalps of James Vince, Shan Masood and Rilee Rossouw, rightfully claiming the award of Man of the Match. The Sultans started the chase of 177 cautiously with the opening pair of Vince and Rizwan adding 63 runs in the first eight overs. However, after the first breakthrough of Vince, the screws were tightened by Sarfraz Ahmed, as he operated spin from both ends, causing all sorts of discomfort to the Multan side. Mohammad Nawaz bowled well in tandem with Qais, making it difficult for batsmen to free their hands. As pressure mounted, wickets kept falling at regular intervals. With Sohaib Maqsood departing at the end of the 13th over, Rizwan was joined by Khushdil Shah, who did play a few shots, but they were one shot too many. Even after Zahid Mahmood and Dale Steyn conceding 12 and 14 runs respectively in two overs and the game getting back in the balance, the Sultans could not capitalise. When 60 runs were needed from the last five overs, Ahmad bowled a brilliant over, giving just eight runs and building even more pressure on the two batsmen in the middle. Khushdil Shah then got out of a Mohammad Hasnain slower ball. In the same over Hsnain removed Carlos Brathwaite as well, forcing Rizwan, who was batting on 66 to fight a lone battle. Mahmood then came back to bowl the 18th over and picked two wickets, removing Rizwan to put the match firmly in Quetta’ kitty. Mere formalities were left after that as whole Multan were bundled out for 154 in 19.4 overs. Earlier in the evening, as predicted, Multan invited Quetta to bat first after they won the toss. Usman Khan, the debutant for Quetta made full use of the opportunity, scoring a brilliant 81 off 50 balls. In his knock of 81, the 25-year-old right-hander hit 10 fours and three sixes, getting Quetta to a blistering start. However, the big-hitting got subdued as Usman got out and more wickets fell regularly. Courtesy of Mohammad Nawaz’s last over hitting, in which he scored 13 runs, the Gladiators reached 176. With this win, Quetta finally registered themselves on the Points Table, although they are still placed at the bottom. This victory also gave them a lifeline and renewed vigour to face Islamabad in the first match of the doubleheader on March 6. Sultans on the other hand would look to find other ways to win a game when they face Karachi on 5th March.

PSL 6: With top spot up for grabs, Islamabad face the Lahore Challenge

Come 4th of March and Karachi Kings would be removed from the top spot in the sixth edition of the Pakistan Super League. It would be courtesy either Islamabad United or Lahore Qalandars, as the two teams with equal number points as Karachi would face off in a high voltage Thursday night clash. Both Qalandars and United are coming on the back of comprehensive wins. While the Sohail Akhtar led side downed Karachi in an impressive chase, United battered Quetta in an almost one-sided clash. This would be the first meeting of the two teams in this edition of the league, where Lahore would have the chance to register their first-ever win against the side from the Capital in their last six meetings. Lamichhane' entry would make Lahore stronger With Lahore getting the replacement of Rashid Khan in the form of Nepalese Sandeep Lamichhane, the Qalandars will now get even stronger in this game as a leg spinner was the only thing they were lacking. Samit Patel has been taken for cleaners and with Ben Dunk and David Wiese returning to form, Lamichhane becomes an obvious choice for the Qalandars think tank. The other area that needs to be worked at by the Qalandars is the form of their skipper. Although in the last game he got out without even facing the ball, the form for the 35-year-old has been a reason of worry for his team. If and when he gets going, Lahore will become a deadly batting side, that no team would like to face. Islamabad fast bowling a threat to Lahore The fast bowling in this edition of the PSL has been exemplary. As a result of that, There are nine fast bowlers in the list of top 10 wicket-takers this season. The Islamabad side has got some fine pace bowlers in the form of Hasan Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jr. and Faheem Ashraf. They are a deadly trio, well supported by the likes of Lewis Gregory and Shadab Khan, complimenting their wicket-taking abilities with their economical bowling. The Qlanadars’ strong position is their batting and if United pacers could take out the likes of Mohammad Hafeez, Fakhar Zaman and Ben Dunk, then the going would get difficult for the Lahore team. Lahore Qalandars vs Islamabad United: Match Details Match Number- 15 Date and Time: 04th March 2021, 07:30 pm IST, 07:00 pm PST, 02:00 pm GMT Venue: National Stadium, Karachi Broadcast and Live Stream: Sony SIX, Sony LIV Pitch Report Enough has been said about the pitch so far and people have seen enough of it as well. No doubt it is a sporting pitch, a t20 friendly pitch with a lot of runs on offer, but with all these qualities, the dew is making it a lot more predictable than it should be. All the totals are getting chased and people can almost predict the result just by knowing the result of the toss. A similar pitch is expected for this game as well. But it would be a real surprise if some team is able to defend a target at the NSK. Weather and Toss The toss has no doubt been the most crucial part of any game at Karachi. Thus in this game too, the captains of both the teams and their fans would be praying to all their gods so that the coin flip comes in their favour. The team winning the toss would obviously be fielding first. The weather is another predictable thing at Karachi with clear skies and temperatures between 20 to 27 degrees welcoming the players and the fans to the ground. Perfect weather for cricket sans the dew of course. Probable XI Lahore Qalandars Fakhar Zaman, Zeeshan Ashraf, Joe Denly, Mohammad Hafeez, Sohail Akhtar (c), Ben Dunk (wk), David Wiese, Shaheen Afridi, Ahmed Daniyal, Sandeep Lamichhane, Haris Rauf Islamabad United Paul Stirling, Alex Hales, Shadab Khan (c), Iftikhar Ahmed, Rohail Nazir (wk), Asif Ali, Hussain Talat, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Muhammad Musa Dream XI / Fantasy XI Suggestions Come 4th of March and Karachi Kings would be removed from the top spot in the sixth edition of the Pakistan Super League. It would be courtesy either Islamabad United or Lahore Qalandars, as the two teams with equal number points as Karachi would face off in a high voltage Thursday night clash. Both Qalandars and United are coming on the back of comprehensive wins. While the Sohail Akhtar led side downed Karachi in an impressive chase, United battered Quetta in an almost one-sided clash. This would be the first meeting of the two teams in this edition of the league, where Lahore would have the chance to register their first-ever win against the side from the Capital in their last six meetings. Lamichhane' entry would make Lahore stronger With Lahore getting the replacement of Rashid Khan in the form of Nepalese Sandeep Lamichhane, the Qalandars will now get even stronger in this game as a leg spinner was the only thing they were lacking. Samit Patel has been taken for cleaners and with Ben Dunk and David Wiese returning to form, Lamichhane becomes an obvious choice for the Qalandars think tank. The other area that needs to be worked at by the Qalandars is the form of their skipper. Although in the last game he got out without even facing the ball, the form for the 35-year-old has been a reason of worry for his team. If and when he gets going, Lahore will become a deadly batting side, that no team would like to face. Islamabad fast bowling a threat to Lahore The fast bowling in this edition of the PSL has been exemplary. As a result of that, There are nine fast bowlers in the list of top 10 wicket-takers this season. The Islamabad side has got some fine pace bowlers in the form of Hasan Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jr. and Faheem Ashraf. They are a deadly trio, well supported by the likes of Lewis Gregory and Shadab Khan, complimenting their wicket-taking abilities with their economical bowling. The Qlanadars’ strong position is their batting and if United pacers could take out the likes of Mohammad Hafeez, Fakhar Zaman and Ben Dunk, then the going would get difficult for the Lahore team. Lahore Qalandars vs Islamabad United: Match Details Match Number- 15 Date and Time: 04th March 2021, 07:30 pm IST, 07:00 pm PST, 02:00 pm GMT Venue: National Stadium, Karachi Broadcast and Live Stream: Sony SIX, Sony LIV Pitch Report Enough has been said about the pitch so far and people have seen enough of it as well. No doubt it is a sporting pitch, a t20 friendly pitch with a lot of runs on offer, but with all these qualities, the dew is making it a lot more predictable than it should be. All the totals are getting chased and people can almost predict the result just by knowing the result of the toss. A similar pitch is expected for this game as well. But it would be a real surprise if some team is able to defend a target at the NSK. Weather and Toss The toss has no doubt been the most crucial part of any game at Karachi. Thus in this game too, the captains of both the teams and their fans would be praying to all their gods so that the coin flip comes in their favour. The team winning the toss would obviously be fielding first. The weather is another predictable thing at Karachi with clear skies and temperatures between 20 to 27 degrees welcoming the players and the fans to the ground. Perfect weather for cricket sans the dew of course. Probable XI Lahore Qalandars Fakhar Zaman, Zeeshan Ashraf, Joe Denly, Mohammad Hafeez, Sohail Akhtar (c), Ben Dunk (wk), David Wiese, Shaheen Afridi, Ahmed Daniyal, Sandeep Lamichhane, Haris Rauf Islamabad United Paul Stirling, Alex Hales, Shadab Khan (c), Iftikhar Ahmed, Rohail Nazir (wk), Asif Ali, Hussain Talat, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Muhammad Musa Dream XI / Fantasy XI Suggestions Fakhar Zaman, Alex Hales (vc), Mohammad Hafeez (c), Asif Ali, Ben Dunk, Rohail Nazir, David Wiese, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Sandeep Lamichhane, Haris Rauf