• Home
  • Cricket News
  • Psl 2021 Preview Multan Look To Continue Momentum Against Exhausted Quetta

PSL 2021 Preview: Multan look to continue momentum against exhausted Quetta

Multan Sultans once again will be up against Quetta Gladiators on Wednesday in Abu Dhabi. Both sides haven’t really had a great tournament so far. While Multan only managed to win three out of their first seven matches that they played, Gladiators suffered defeats in six games. But with their last game win over Lahore Qalandars, the Sarfaraz Ahmed led team is hanging by the thread as far as Playoff chances are concerned. 

Gladiators have already defeated Sultans first leg in Karachi by 22 runs. Usman Khan scored a fine 50-ball 81 to take his team to a total of 176/7 in 20 overs while the bowlers then bundled out the Sultans for 154 to win the match. 

Gladiators would be looking to repeat the feat when they take on Multan while Rizwan’s troops would be eyeing to level their scores against Sarfaraz’s men. 

The Multan side would be coming into this match with a comprehensive 8-wicket win over Peshawar Zalmi. Rizwan and Sohaib Maqsood scored individual half-centuries to hand their side a win eventually in the match. 

Gladiators on the other hand have an aggressive batsman in Azam Khan in the middle-order. The youngster showed his ability with the bat against Lahore Qalandars after he chipped in with a quick-fire 33 off 18. 

But the batting has become a major problem for Quetta especially in the absence of Andre Russell and Faf du Plessis. Russell suffered a blow on his helmet during the match against Islamabad United and was later taken to the hospital. 

South Africa batsman Faf du Plessis was also injured in the team’s fixture against Peshawar Zalmi while fielding. Either the top-order fails for Quetta or the middle-order isn’t able to capitalise on the starts given by the top-order batsmen which has been a major cause for the side’s dismal show in the tournament. 

Match Details

Match – Multan Sultans vs Quetta Gladiators – 25th match

Venue – Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Time – 09:30 PM IST, 01:00 PM IST

Pitch Report

The slowish nature of the tracks in Abu Dhabi might have something for the spinners but the dew factor at night is also a major aspect in the game. While the spinners would play an important role in the middle overs especially in the first innings, the team batting second might get help because of dew. So, if you win the toss, elect to field. 

Team News

Quetta Gladiators: All-rounder Andre Russell and South Africa batsman Faf du Plessis didn’t feature in the clash against the Lahore Qalandars. The two players suffered injuries during the course of the tournament. 

Moreover, Russell is also a part of the West Indies squad for T20Is against South Africa and has been reportedly released for national duties. Earlier, three Zalmi players, David Miller, Fabien Allen and Fidel Edwards also left the PSL to feature in the bilateral tie between the two nations. 

Quetta can however enjoy the services of Jack Wildermuth in place of Zahoor Khan as they played the last game with one foreigner short. It is surprising why till now they have not played the Adelaide allrounder so far. 

Multan Sultans: Mutan Sultans will be without the services of Shimron Hetmyer for the remainder of the PSL as the batsman will be busy playing for the national side in the T20I series against South Africa at home.

Sultans would need to tweak their playing XI after Hetmyer’s departure. 

Asif Afridi and Hammad Azam have joined the squad. 

Probable XI

Quetta Gladiators

Usman Khan, Cameron Delport, Jake Weatherald, Sarfaraz Ahmed (C & WK), Azam Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Jack Wildermuth, Hassan Khan, Usman Shinwari, Khurram Shehzad, Mohammad Hasnain, 

Multan Sultans

Shan Masood, Mohammad Rizwan (C and WK), Sohaib Maqsood, Rilee Rossouw, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Khushdil Shah, Sohail Tanvir, Blessing Muzarabani, Shahnawaz Dhani, Imran Khan, Imran Tahir

Fantasy XI

Usman Khan, Mohammad Rizwan (C), Saim Ayub, Jake Weatherald, Cameron Delport, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Azam Khan (VC), Rilee Rossouw, Shahnawaz Dhani, Imran Khan, Imran Tahir

Discover more
Top Stories
news

Cheteshwar Pujara credits bowlers for Test Championship journey, asserts India up for the challenge

India’s number three Cheteshwar Pujara has credited the bowlers, and more specifically, the pacers for winning India a place in the World Test Championship final against New Zealand. He said that Indian bowling attack has the required set of skills to take 20 wickets in any given conditions and also the team have had many backup options in the recent past to make India a reliable team across the world. "The reason we have reached the WTC Final is because of our pacers and bowlers. They can take 20 wickets in any condition. And I am really happy to see them grow. And we have so many backup options and everyone is ready for the challenge,” Pujara said in the virtual press conference two days prior to the WTC final. Pointing out the conext and value that the Test Championship brings to the longest format of the game, which he said must ‘survive’, Pujara said that India’s triumph in the final of the WTC will inspire youngserts coming into the game to take up the long form of the game. "Test cricket needs to survive and with WTC, it will definitely help. If we win, then more younger players will want to play Test cricket. Each and every series means a lot now. This should continue,” Pujara added. India’s rise and journey into the WTC final was also driven by youngerts who were more than ready to take on the big men of the international cricket and proved to be match-winners very early in their career against Australia. Predicting ‘successful’ careers for them, Pujara said that the youngerts coming into the side are ‘confident’ and hungry to win matches for the country. "The best part about youngsters is they are confident. They want to win matches. They didn't know much about conditions in Australia but they still did well. They always look to improve. They will be successful,” Pujara reckoned. India have not had any match-practice leading up to the WTC final except the intra-squad match they played by dividing the jumbo squad into two and setting up simulated targets and situations. The lack of match practice could well find India short against an impressive New Zealand, who have just won their first series in England since 1999 but Pujara has a lot of confidence on his teammates and reckoned that the men in blue are up for the big challenge. "We are up for the challenge and going with a lot of confidence. “The mental part is very important as it is just one match. We have had 10-12 days of preparation time as well. Mentally you need to up there,” Pujara reckoned. "It is about getting back into the rhythm. When we were out there in the middle, we wanted to make the most out of it. We also had some practice pitches available. We utilised the time pretty well" Pujara has already stated how much the World Test Championship means to him and other Test speiclaists, who play only the longest format and he reiterated his sentiment less than 48 hours away from when the coin will go up in Southampton. "Personally, it means a lot to me. This is the first WTC Final and we have worked for it over a period of time. We as a team is looking forward team. Playing finals is always big,” Pujara concluded. India’s hopes of combatting the star-studded pace bowling lineup of New Zealand that comprises of Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Kyle Jamieson, and Neil Wagner, will rely heavily on Pujara’s shoulders if they have to win the inaugural edition of a championship that their coach had rated ‘one of the biggest, if not the biggest event’ in the world of cricket.

news

INDW vs ENGW | When and where to watch, pitch report, playing XI details

The Indian women’s team will be facing England in a one-off Test in Bristol. The Mithali Raj-led side will feature in a Test after seven years. They last played a Test against South Africa at home in Mysore which they won by an innings and 34 runs. India last played a Test against the English team back in 2014 in Wormsley where they emerged victorious by 6 wickets. Smriti Mandhana, Punam Raut, Mithali Raj, Harmanpreet Kaur, Jhulan Goswami, Shikha Pandey and Ekta Bisht are some of the players who were a part of that squad that played the last Test for India against the England back in 2014. Match Details Match: IND-W vs ENG-W Test match Date and Time: 16th June 2021 to 19th June 2021 3.30 PM IST Telecast: Sony Sports Network Pitch Report The track on the first day would have something on offer for the pacers while it might suit the batters on the second and third day of the match. However, chasing a total can still be a tough task. So, the winning the toss would probably elect to bat first in Bristol. Probable XI India: Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Punam Raut, Mithali Raj(c), Harmanpreet Kaur, Deepti Sharma, Shikha Pandey, Tanya Bhatia(wk), Jhulan Goswami, Punam Yadav, Ekta Bisht. England: Amy Jones(wk), Tammy Beaumont, Heather Knight(c), Georgia Elwiss, Natalie Sciver, Fran Wilson, Katherine Brunt, Anya Shurbsole, Kate Cross, Sophie Ecclestone, Natasha Farrant. Fantasy XI Amy Jones, Heather Knight, Mithali Raj (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Fran Wilson, Natalie Sciver, Jhulan Goswami, Deepti Sharma, Sophie Ecclestone, Anya Shurbsole, Poonam Yadav