• Home
  • Cricket News
  • Psl 6 With Captain Wahab Coach Sammy Isolated Due To Covid Scare Zalmi Look For Inspiration Against Qalandars

PSL 6: With captain Wahab, coach Sammy isolated due to covid scare, Zalmi look for inspiration against Qalandars

In their very first game of the season, Peshwar Zalmi would be up against Lahore Qalandars at the National Stadium in Karachi. While Zalmi are the 2017 champions of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), the Qalandars are still searching for their elusive title. Zalmi though would be looking to find inspiration within as their skipper Wahab Riaz and coach Daren Sammy have been isolated for three days after coming in contact with a covid-19 positive person. 

The head to head record between the two teams stands in favour of Zalmi for the last seven games. The team from the Hindukush mountain ranges have won five out of their last seven games against the Qalandars. But there is still some positivity to be gained for the Lahore side as far as head to head meetings are concerned. Lahore has won the last two games played by these sides, including the eliminator of PSL 2020. 

Well balanced Qalandars, a great challenge for Zalmi

The Lahore Qalandars have got a great combination of bowlers and batters and look very threatening on paper. With the presence of the likes of Mohammad Hafeez, Joe Denly, Ben Dunk, Fakhar Zaman and skipper Sohail Akhtar, the batting looks as strong as it can get. The bowling department has international stars like Rashid Khan, Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf, who will be supported by the likes of Dilbar Hussain and David Weise, making it one of the most fearsome attacks in the entire league. 

With such a balanced side, Lahore is a team that would be meaning business from the very first game. 

Batting heavy Zalmi count on experience heads to get them through

Shoaib Malik, Ravi Bopara, Kamaran Akmal and David Miller are such names who have won games single-handedly for their sides on their day. With captain and coach out of the first game, the Zalmi would be counting on theses experience heads only to get them through this game. 

Apart from the experience, there is a good mix of youth as well in the side. Haider Ali, Imam-Ul-Haq are few such examples who have done brilliantly in past years and can be trusted to do well this season as well. 

Lahore Qalandars vs Peshawar Zalmi: Match Details

Match Number- 02

Date and Time: 21st February, 02:30 pm IST, 02:00 pm Local, 09:00 am IST

Venue- National Stadium, Karachi

Broadcast and Live stream: Sony Six and Sony LIV

Pitch Report

It is going to be a day game in Karachi and hence the pitch is likely to offer some grip to the spinners. Also, it will be a used pitch, on which the first PSL game was played, hence the likes of Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman can get some purchase of it, especially in the second innings. 

Weather and Toss

In hot and dry weather with no chances of any rain, or even a cloud passing by and the pitch getting ever so dry, the team winning the toss would go for a bat first. 

Probable XIs

Peshawar Zalmi

Kamran Akmal(w), Haider Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik (c), David Miller, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Ravi Bopara, Amad Butt, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Mohammad Irfan, Umaid Asif

Lahore Qalandars

Fakhar Zaman, Ben Dunk, Mohammad Hafeez, Joe Denly, Sohail Akhtar(c), David Wiese, Zeeshan Ashraf(w), Rashid Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Dilbar Hussain 

Dream XI/ Fantasy XI: Kamran Akmal (w), Haider Ali, Mohammad Hafeez(c), David Miller, Joe Denly, Mohammad Faizan, Shoaib Malik, Ravi Bopara, Rashid Khan(vc), Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf

Discover more
Top Stories
news

PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani issues ultimatum to BCCI, demands written assurance on World T20

The chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Ehsan Mani has said that he will demand to shift the T20 World Cup scheduled for later this year out of India in case the hosts refuse to give assurances in writing that it will fulfil all the obligations under the ICC host agreement under which they have to arrange visas for the squad of touring teams, along with of fans, and journalists from across the world. "Our government has never told us that we can't play (in India). We have agreed with the ICC that we are going to participate and we can't contravene that. At the ICC level, I have clearly said we need a written assurance from the India government that not only our team and squad's visas, we also need visas for fans, journalists and the board officials, but that's also all written in the ICC host agreement and according to that we have put our demand,” Mani told the press in Lahore. Notably, the next edition of the World T20was scheduled to take place in Australia, but the COVID-19 pandemic postponed the global tournament. Mani also came hard on the International Cricket Council (ICC) for being lenient towards the BCCI and laid out an ultimatum till March for the Indian cricket board to submit its written assurances, otherwise, he will seek shifting of the event to the United Arab Emirates. He said that the PCB has all legal and constitutional rights to participate in the tournament and also the ICC already has a plan its place incase the BCCI withdraws its hands from the tournament. "ICC has also been a bit loose on it as they told us that it will be done by Dec 31, 2020, but it didn't happen. I again raised it in January and in February directly with the ICC chairman, then I talked to ICC management and I told them that I need a clear decision by March. They are saying that by end of March. If it doesn't come, I will demand the shifting of the event from India to UAE,” Mani added. "It's already been decided that if India can't hold the event it will be shifted to UAE. Legally and constitutionally it's our right to participate in the tournament and nobody can remove us from the tournament and the ICC chairman does realise this.” Although the relationship between the PCB and BCCI has become bitter for a long period of time now, Mani cited the unfortunate and unhealthy link-up between politics and cricket of two nations. He added that there is no personal enmity with BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and that he does not have any issue in BCCI hosting the tournament provided it can provide assurances and convince every stakeholder of the global tournament. "Unfortunately, it's unhealthy that especially cricket in India is being linked with politics. On a personal level, I have no problems with Sourav Ganguly and he is quite open about it, he wants to organise the tournament in India and I have no problems with it too if he can convince every stakeholder. But ICC has backup plans and if they (India) can't do it, it will be held at an alternative venue,” Mani added.

news

PSL-6| Karachi vs Quetta: Bowlers, Joe Clarke help Karachi start their campaign on winning note

Englishman Joe Clarke made an impressive debut, helping his team Karachi Kings march to victory in the inaugural game of Pakistan Super League’s sixth season at the National Stadium in Karachi. Clarke’s 23 ball 46 was instrumental in taking Babar Azam’s men to a short target of 122. Quetta started their defence of the small total in a great manner with Mohammad Hasnain getting out Sharjeel Khan in the very first over. Clarke, 24, wasn’t given much free space either until the fourth over. After the end of the third over, Karachi were struggling at 12-1. But it was at this time that Clarke loosened up, hitting Naseem Shah for 19 runs in an over. In the very next over, the Shrewsbury born hit Afghan leggie, Qais Ahmed, for 27 runs and ended all hopes of a Quetta fight back. However, the free run of the English batsman didn’t last long as he picked out Azam Khan at the long leg boundary off a Mohammad Shinwari delivery. Mohammad Nabi, who joined skipper Babar Azam after Clarke’ fall then made sure that no more hiccups were put in the chase even as Azam got out. Nabi scored an unbeaten 14 ball 30 runs. Hasnain was the pick of the bowlers for Quetta, making the ball talk and being able to get the ball to nip back in for left-hander and move away for the right-handers at ease. It was with one of the outswingers that he got Babar to nick it and get caught behind the stumps brilliantly by Quetta skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed. But before getting out, Babar became the highest ever run-getter in the history of PSL, overtaking Kamarna Akmal. He now has 1540 runs in the league. Earlier in the evening, Karachi after winning the toss put Quetta to bat first. Quetta got to the worst possible start as they lost both their main men in Sarfaraz and Tom Banton. Needing a partnership, the team depended on veteran hitter Chris Gayle to deliver, but he failed once again, although he was still the highest run-getter with 39 runs. Medium fast bowler Arshad Iqbal was the highest wicket-taker for Karachi with three scalps. Among others, Waqas Maqsood took two wickets while rest of all the bowlers who bowled also too at least one wicket.

news

Ishan Kishan’s 94 ball 173 and Varun Aaron’s six-wicket haul starts Jharkhand Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign on winning note

There couldn’t have been a better way for Jharkhand to begin their VijayHzare Trophy 2021 campaign than their skipper hitting a 94 ball 173 and then their top speedster picking six wickets to roll over the opposition under 100. Ishan Kishan hit a 94 ball 173 to help Jharkhand reach a mammoth 422/9 in their 50 overs. Apart from Kishan, Anukul Roy, Virat Singh and Sumit Kumar hit fifties as well. In his innings of 173, the 22-year-old Patna born hit 19 fours and 11 sixes. Apart from his excellence with the bat, Kishan also took seven catches to cape off a brilliant day at the office. Coming to chase, 423, Madhya Pradesh were all over the place as they were bundled out for meagre 98. Veteran paceman of Jharkhand, Varun Aaron scalped six wickets while Shabaz Nadeem, Bal Krishna and Rahul Shukla shared the rest of the spoils. Opening batsman, Abhishek Bhandari top scored with 42 runs. In other games of the day, Gujarat, Hyderabad and Baroda made winning starts as they beat Chhattisgarh, Tripura and Goa respectively. Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021 winners Tamil Nadu too had a winning start as they defeated Punjab in their opening encounter. Defending champions Karnataka though found Uttar Pradesh as a hurdle losing their opening game by nine runs (VJD) Method. Kerala, Railways and Andhra also started their campaign on a winning note defeating Odisha, Bihar and Vidarbha quite comprehensively.