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PSL 6: Sultans look to bury last game mistakes against wobbly Zalmi

Abhishek Singh

Going from 103 in 13 overs to getting only 150 at the end of 20 overs, was something that Multan Sultans cannot afford once again. The Mohammad Rizwan-led side would be up against Peshawar Zalmi in their next game at the National Stadium in Karachi on 23rd February. 

On the other hand, Zalmi, who almost barged into the game against Lahore Qalandars courtesy of a brilliant reverse swinging spell from Saqib Mahmood, would be trying to get heavy with the bat. If they are able to score big with the bat, they would cause all sorts of problems to the Multan batting lineup with their three-pronged pace attack of skipper Wahab Riaz, Saquib Mahmood and Mohammad Imran. 

Death overs batting needs to get better for Sultans

Sultan in their first game looked too much dependent on Mohammad Rizwan’s batting. If his 71 runs are taken out, there hardly remains an innings that can be talked about. It is the likes of Chris Lynn, James Vince and Rilee Rossouw who need to bring in their experience, occupy crease and blast in the last overs to get Zalmi to a strong total. 

The bowling of the Multan side was brilliant till the 19th over in the last game. It was Sohail Tanvir's wayward over to Lewis Gregory that took the game away from them. Had he maintained discipline, it would have easily been Multan’s victory. However, areas, where they need to work, are Mohammad Umar’s run leaking tendencies and getting Imran Tahir in the squad to have two genuine spinners. They might also get in Sohail Khan in place of Sohaibullah. 

Batting a big worry for Zalmi

The Peshawar Zalmi squad has one of the best batting lineups with the likes of Imam-Ul-Haq, Kamran Akmal at the top, followed by Shoaib Malik, Haider Ali and Ravi Bopara. But in the last game, they could not get the combination right as most of them failed at execution. It was due to the failure of the top order that Sherfane Rutherford, Bopara and Amad Butt were unable to play their natural hitting game. Thus Zalmi’s innings could only get to 140, which is below par T20 score in any conditions. 

In this game, they need to sort out the batting problem of they are looking to dominate the Multan bowling lineup. 

Peshawar Zalmi vs Multan Sultans

Match Number- 05

Venue- National Stadium, Karachi

Date and Time: 23rd February, 07:30 pm IST, 07:00 pm Local, 02:00 pm GMT

Broadcast and Live Stream: Sony Ten and Sony LIV

Pitch Report

The National Stadium square has so far been a genuine T20I wicket with a lot on offer for both the batsmen and the bowlers. If the ball is kept on the stumps and variation in pace is regularly applied, scoring does get difficult for the batting team, especially when more than four fielders are outside the circle. Otherwise, the pitch has true bounce and the ball comes on to the bat nicely. 

Weather and Toss

At this time of the year, the weather in Karachi remains moderate with bearable temperatures, even turning chilly in the evening and dew remains a constant feature throughout the winters and even most parts of the summers in the entire subcontinent. Karachi too would have a lot of dew. The skipper winning the toss would therefore choose to bowl first. 

Probable XIs

Peshawar Zalmi

Kamran Akmal (wk), Imam-ul-Haq, Haider Ali, Shoaib Malik, Ravi Bopara, Sherfane Rutherford, Amad Butt, Wahab Riaz (c), Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Saqib Mahmood, Mohammad Imran

Multan Sultans

Mohammad Rizwan (c & wk), Chris Lynn, Shaan Masood, James Vince, Sohaib Maqsood, Khushdil Shah, Carlos Brathwaite, Shahid Afridi, Sohail Tanvir, Imran Tahir, Sohail Khan

Dream XI / Fantasy XI

Kamran Akmal (wk), Mohammad Rizwan (c) James Vince, Chris Lynn, Sohaib Maqsood, Ravi Bopara, Shahid Afridi, Amad Butt, Saqib Mahmood, Sohail Tanvir, Mujeeb Ur Rahman

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