PSL 2018, Match 10: Quetta Gladiators vs Peshawar Zalmi – Match Predictions

It’s going to be a rematch of the last season’s finale as Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators go head to head in Match 10 of the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL 3) at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Both the teams have played 3 games this season and the Gladiators have had better results with two wins and a loss in comparison to the Zalmi who have managed to win just one out of three so far.

The Zalmi have looked only a pale shadow of the team they had looked last year, however, it’s way too early to write them off as the league is only in its starting stages. The reigning Champions will want to gather themselves and put in their all against the Gladiators who are proving to be one of the strongest units in the competition already.

Probable nature of the pitch

Sharjah pitch last evening was a belter of a track and it should be the same again tonight. It has always been a batting pitch over the years and the batsmen have had the liberty of playing their shots through the line. The ball doesn’t move an inch off the surface, neither does it grip any bit and with the dimensions of the boundaries, not the biggest, it’s a mouth-watering prospect from the batting point of view.

Defending the score is a difficult thing to do at Sharjah because of the conditions and that’s the reason the captains winning the toss generally like to field first.

Playing Combination

Quetta Gladiators

The good thing for Quetta is that their youngsters and the overseas players are firing. While Shane Watson has come out pretty handy both with bat and ball, Kevin Pietersen also played an influential knock in the last game scoring 48 off just 30 odd deliveries.

The rookie left-arm spinner Hasan Khan who recently captained Pakistan in the U19 World Cup is also doing a good job in the middle overs and Rahat Ali is not causing his reputation any arm either with his left arm pace.

The fielding standard of the team has been top class as well and Sarfaraz Ahmed, as usual, is leading the side efficiently. It’s going perfectly for them at the moment and they won’t want to change their combination coming into this encounter.

Predicted XI: Asad Shafiq, Shane Watson, Kevin Pietersen, Sarfaraz Ahmed (C), Umar Amin, Rilee Rossouw, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Khan, Anwar Ali, John Hastings, Rahat Ali

Peshawar Zalmi

Zalmi may like to make a change or two. Tamim Iqbal has not been able to make the impact that was expected of him at the top of the order and there is a case for giving Riki Wessels a go. He’s a successful operator in the shortest format of the game in the English domestic circuit and may provide some early impetus to the Zalmi innings in the powerplay.

In the bowling department, the Zalmi are clearly missing Hasan Ali who is out injured and not available for selection at the moment. If he was fit, he was a guaranteed pick, but with him not there, Mohammad Asghar is likely to get an extended run.

Chris Jordan will be the key bowler for Zalmi with his extraordinary skills of nailing the Yorker lengths consistently, while Wahab Riaz will be the man to look out for as well. The captain Darren Sammy will expect some gas from the left arm quick in the middle part of the innings.

Predicted XI: Riki Wessels, Kamran Akmal (WK), Dwayne Smith, Mohammad Hafeez, Darren Sammy (C), Harris Sohail, Wahab Riaz, Umaid Asif, Ibtisam Sheikh, Chris Jordan, Mohammad Asghar

Here’s what CricTracker predicts for the game

Probable Top Performers

Asad Shafiq (Quetta Gladiators) | Dwayne Smith (Peshawar Zalmi)

Head to Head

Matches – 7, Quetta Gladiators– 3, Peshawar Zalmi – 2, N/R – 1

Timing of the match: 09:30 pm IST

Broadcast Details

TV – D Sport

The prediction is for the team bowling first to win the match as defending a total is difficult in Sharjah with a flat pitch and small boundaries.

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