• Home
  • Cricket News
  • Psl 6 Refreshed From Long Break Multan Sultans Look To Dent In Quetta Already Reduced Reputation

PSL 6: Refreshed from long break, Multan Sultans look to dent in Quetta’ already reduced reputation

Abhishek Singh

After a roadblock in form of the Covid-19 case and a match being rescheduled, the PSL is once again back on its feet and is up and running. Multan Sultans, the star-studded side from South Punjab have surprisingly had a long three-day break in a league, where teams have played matches on consecutive days. This time around, they are up against a Quetta Gladiators side, which has bared the brunt of not winning even a single toss, and also it’s bowlers being unable to deliver in crunch situations. 

The two teams in this game are almost at the same place, barring one win for Sultans, in a match they were able to win the toss. As of now, all 12 matches have gone to teams chasing and thus for either of the teams to make sure that they have any chances of making it to the Playoffs, they need to turn the tide around and win a game, irrespective of the toss result. 

The big battle of Rizwan and Sarfaraz

This match is also going to be a show of power as two of the best wicket-keepers of Pakistan, captaining their respective sides, one seeking a place back in the side, the other trying to hold firm the established position he has got, will be up against each other. Sarfaraz Ahmed, the skipper of the Quetta team has played well in the tournament, but Mohammad Rizwan, the Sultans’ leader has been in a scintillating form. 

Thus this game is going to be a show-off between the two. It is not only going to be about the batting but also about the captaining of their respective sides. Sarfaraz has been aggressive, but impatient too. On the other hand, Rizwan has been calm and composed even in most tough and trying situations. 

This game will test the character of the teams as well, especially Quetta who have to play two games in two days, after having been beaten comprehensively in their last game. With four losses in four games, it’s now a matter of survival for Quetta, and they would give it their all to win this. 

Quetta Gladiators vs Multan Sultans: Match Details

Match Number- 14

Date and Time: 03rd March, 07:30 pm IST, 07:00 pm PST, 02:00 pm GMT

Venue: National Stadium, Karachi

Broadcast and Live Stream: Sony Six and Sony LIV

Pitch Report

The National Stadium has provided a lot of entertainment to the audiences of the PSL. In this game too, the pitch is going to be a belter no doubt. Some help would be there for the pacers early on with the evening sea breeze. But it is going to be a used pitch, would also grip a bit early on till the dew settles in. 

Weather and Toss

In the range of 26 degrees to 22 degrees, the temperatures at the NSK would suit the players, Although heavy dew is once again expected, making bowling an obvious choice for the team winning the toss. 

Probable XI

Quetta Gladiators

Saim Ayub, Cameron Delport, Faf du Plessis, Sarfaraz Ahmed (c & wk), Azam Khan, Ben Cutting, Mohammad Nawaz, Dale Steyn, Zahid Mahmood, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah

Multan Sultans

Mohammad Rizwan (c & wk), Chris Lynn, James Vince, Rilee Rossouw, Sohaib Maqsood, Khushdil Shah, Shahid Afridi, Carlos Brathwaite, Sohail Khan, Usman Qadir, Shahnawaz Dhani

Dream XI / Fantasy XI Picks

Sarfaraz Ahmed(wk/vc), Mohammad Rizwan(c), Faf du Plessis, Sohaib Maqsood,  James Vince, Mohammad Nawaz, Ben Cutting, Carlos Brathwaite, Zahid Mahmood, Mohammad Hasnain, Dale Steyn

Discover more

Top Stories
news

IND vs ENG | 4th Test Preview: Battered England seek redemption, India eye WTC final

India is a tough place for visiting teams and stats back the assertion as the home side had lost only one game in four years before the start of the series against England. Three Test matches later, the series is still alive and the tourists have a massive chance of denying India the chance of winning the Test series, that too at home. No one gave Joe Root’s side any chance before the start of the series, and that they still stand a chance to square the four-match long Test series is nothing short of remarkable for them. At the start of the series, India were high on historic triumph in Australia while missing the first-choice players and the return of players of the calibre of Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin did not only make the task look like a herculean one for Root’s men, but all agreed that they would need to play out of their skin to outdo India in their own condition, which they did in the first Test of the series to everyone’s surprise. India were defeated on their own peril as England batsmen batted for a longer period of time than their Indian counterparts, while their spinners bowled with better control and luck than Indians, who are believed to be the pioneer in such conditions. The mode of batting big in the first innings and then unleashing spinners on the opposition batsmen have been India’s mantra for success in home conditions but in the first Test, they were at the receiving end of execution of those plans. However, the jubilation for England was short-lived as India gave up the idea of outweighing opponents on flat pitches, and the surface used for the next two Tests played right into their hands. Balls spun considerably in the last two Tests, and while both batting units struggled for runs in Chennai and Ahmedabad, it was England who were found wanting on spinning pitches. It took a big defeat in the first Test for the dominant, aggressive India to come back in the series, but the moment they went past the Joe Root hurdle in the first innings of the second Test, there was no let-up for the English batsmen. The ‘juggernaut’ did not stop in Ahmedabad as well with the pink ball offering to aid more tricks and turns than the red ball. The sides could not have picked any different sides than they fielded in the last Test, with India opting for two pacers and three spinners combination while England going for a four-pronged pace attack, and Jack Leach as the sole spinner. By the end of the first session of the second day, which turned out to be the last of the game, Root would have accepted in his mind that he along with the team management got the selection wrong. England made a brilliant start in the series, but what every pundits and fan expected right from the start, India came roaring back in the series to stamp their authority on the series. Their openers have looked far more assured at the crease, although Shubman Gill has not been able to go big and has departed before settling in. Their number three --Cheteshwar Pujara has gone into an unusual slump, but Rohit Sharma has left his mark on the longest format of the game in the last two Tests. He has looked seamless on pitches other batsmen have found challenging and was miles ahead of the others in the second Test where he single-handedly took India to a position of strength. A century has been eluding for Virat Kohli for a long period of time now, but he has not looked out of sorts, and every time he sets himself at the batting crease, that century does not appear far away from his reach. He would be itching to get out there and finish the series on high of the three-figure mark. The bowling department has looked as rich as it has looked in the recent past with the newest entrant-- Axar Patel barely allowing fans and Kohli to miss Ravindra Jadeja. He has been deadly accurate on pitches that have supported his style of bowling which relies heavily on natural variations. From the other end, Ravichandran Ashwin has been going on his merry way like it has been in the past. He reached the 400 Test wickets-mark in the last Test, and there is no shortage of hunger in his belly and variations from his fingers to make life any easier for the English team. India will be hungrier for winning the final Test as it stands between them and a spot in the final of the World Test Championship. Earlier, Kohli had downplayed their desire and desperation to play and win the Championship, but two test specialists in Rahane and Ishant Sharma have reiterated that winning the championship final at Lord’s will taste as sweet as winning an ODI World Cup, and hence the onus is on India to make the move, although England have to win the game in order to save the series. The odds are once again stacked against England with India now in the top-notch form at least in the spin department. Can Joe Root inspire his team once more, or there will be another stroll in the park for the Indians in the series decider. India vs England: Match Details Match No.-04 Date and Time: February 04 -08, 9:30 pm IST, 04:00 am GMT Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad Broadcast and Live Stream: Star Sports, Hotstar Pitch conditions The pitch in the third Test garnered a lot of headlines for the wrong reasons. It supported turn and bounce from the first day, while spinners also enjoyed success from the pace off the pitch which led to a lot of dismissals by LBW. England would be dishonest to themselves if they are expecting anything other than a pitch that offers turn from the very first day, and India’s vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane said that they are expecting another similar pitch to that of the third one. Batsmen from either side however will be hoping the return of the red ball will make their life easier as it will not jump off the surface at a quick pace as the pink ball did in the last Test. Team News India Jasprit Bumrah has been released from the squad for the final Test of the series, and there is a certainty of one change in the Indian playing XI. India would be keen to relook at the composition of their spin attack after adding the batting cushion of Washington Sundar. Kuldeep Yadav should walk back in the XI as the third spinner. Among pacers, there is a toss-up between Umesh Yadav who has returned after missing out due to injury and Mohammed Siraj who has made a name for himself on the back of strong performances. One school of thought will also be to rest Ishant Sharma who has played in all the three Test matches of this series. However, Kohli will be reluctant to bank upon the duo who has not had game time in the middle in the recent past. Strongest XI Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (wk), R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav England The losses in the last two Tests must have left England team management searching for answers to some key questions about people suitable for various roles. Both Zak Crawley and Jonny Bairstow came back into the playing XI after a long break, and while the former looked in ominous touch before getting out in the first innings, the latter clearly looked out of place, both technically and mentally. Ollie Pope who has been rated very highly by the England team management has looked like a fish forced out of the water, and both Ashwin and Axar have got the better of him in the last two Tests. He clearly lacked the temperament, apart from the obvious technical flaws that Ashwin exposed in the last game. England have already made a tough decision of dropping Rory Burns because of a poor run of form after he came into the team in the first Test against India, and dropping Bairstow will be like creating more problems than finding solutions to the pre-existing problems. One argument is doing rounds that England should swap the batting positions of Ollie Pope and Jonny Bairstow as it will provide better options looking at the future of the team. England have a lot of pondering to do in the selection of their bowlers for the fourth Test. They miscalculated the pitch terribly, or they put too much money on their pacers to produce goods with the pink ball in the last game. With the return of the red ball, England should ideally go back to Dominic Bess, who will not be in a great state of mind after facing the axe in the last two Tests. Strongest XI Dom Sibley, Zak Crawley, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root (c), Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope, Ben Foakes (wk), Olly Stone, Jack Leach, James Anderson, Dom Bess

news

Winning World Test Championship equals to winning World Cup: Ajinkya Rahane

For Indian skipper Virat Kohli the road to the World Test Championship is not an extraordinary journey, or he is at least downplaying the occasion whenever he has been asked about the all-important final to be played at Lord’s. For other Indian players who represent India only in the Test format, the WTC final and a triumph will be as extraordinary and special as winning an ODI World Cup. This analogy was first given by pacer Ishant Sharma who before his 100th Test had said that India are on verge of something special, and he hs now received backing from his vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane. Addressing a virtual press-conference on Tuesday, Rahane reiterated Ishant’s feelings about the WTC final and said that the team is gelling in nicely and has an eye on the final, while they are more focussed on keeping their approach centred to the fourth Test against England. “Absolutely, Ishant was spot on in what he said. Winning the WTC is equal to winning the World Cup. We are all focusing on that, having said that, the focus right now is to play the fourth Test against England. Ishant was completely right,” said Rahane said. The pitches in the ongoing Test series between India and England have been challenging for batsmen of either side, and both England and India have collapsed in three matches so far. Rahane said that banking on defence is the key to succeed on such pitches and batsmen have to adapt on playing the line of the ball and at the same time not thinking about the vicious turn or lack of it on the previous balls. “When you play on spinning tracks, you have to play the line and you know that. In India, we haven't played so many games in the last two-three years. When you play on that spinning and seaming wickets, it's all about playing the line, when the ball is spinning too much, you do not have to think about it, you just have to play the line, if you miss the ball, you miss the ball. Backing your defence and ability on seaming and spinning wicket is something we follow,” Rahane added. Rahane himself has struggled with the bat in the series, except for one innings when he batted for more than a session and stitched a mammoth partnership with Rohit Sharma to take India past the 300-mark in the first innings. He failed in the only innings of the last Test and India will need him to come good in the fourth Test when a spot in the World Test Championship is at stake.

news

Surprised at the exclusion of Mohali stadium for IPL: Punjab CM Amarinder Singh

The cricket stadium in Mohali has been excluded from the list of the grounds that will host IPL 2021. Expressing his disappointment on the same, Punjab CM Amarinder Singh has appealed to the BCCI and the ICC to reconsider the decision. “I am surprised at the exclusion of Mohali Cricket stadium for the upcoming IPL season. I urge and appeal to @BCCI and @IPL to reconsider their decision. There is no reason why Mohali can’t host IPL and out government will make all necessary arrangements for safety against #Covid19,” the CM tweeted. Delhi, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Chennai are the cities that have been shortlisted so far but the BCCI is yet to take a final call. Earlier, the board had also decided that the IPL fixtures can’t take place in Mumbai with the rise in COVID-19 cases. "There is still a month left for the IPL to start but obviously some decisions need to be taken. It will be risky to have a single city IPL in Mumbai if there is steady rise in cases that's happening right now," a senior BCCI official told PTI on conditions of anonymity. "So cities like Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Kolkata will be ready to host matches. Ahmedabad, in all likelihood, will host the play-off and final match of the IPL," he said. The IPL 2020 was held in the UAE due to the pandemic. Mumbai Indians defended the title after beating Delhi Capitals in the final. MI now have five IPL titles to their name while CSK is the second most successful side with three winning triumphs to their name.