PSL 2018, Match 12: Islamabad United vs Lahore Qalandars – Match Predictions

Lahore Qalandars have had a horrible time in the third edition of the PSL so far as they have suffered three back to back losses and find themselves at the bottommost position in the points table right now. They desperately need to turn the tables and have some positive results under their belt to keep themselves alive in the race to the knockouts.

Islamabad United are also more or less in the same boat. They have won one game so far, but overall in the context of the tournament, they have really struggled. They have a few decisions to make in terms of the roles of the players and how they want to go about their batting in particular because that is one department which at the moment seems to be their weaker forte.

With both teams having their backs against the walls, this should be an intense content and the viewers might have some exciting Cricket on display.

Probable nature of the pitch

The pitch that was used for last night’s game between Quetta Gladiators and Peshawar Zalmi was a two-paced surface and the batsmen found it a tad difficult to time the ball. However, they will be using a different pitch for the two games on Friday and that pitch is more likely to be a flat one as a two-paced surface at Sharjah is not common.

At venues like Sharjah where the playing conditions are tilted more in the favor of the batsmen than the bowlers, the ideal thing to do after winning the toss is to field first and it will be very surprised if either of the two captains does anything different.

Playing Combination

Islamabad United

The regular skipper Misbah-ul-Haq returned for Islamabad last game, but he couldn’t bring the spark with him which was expected. He spent a fair bit of time at the crease but looked very rusty and scored his runs at a strike rate of below 100. The lack of match practice was clearly evident in his play as he was struggling to find the middle of the bat consistently. The veteran right-hander needs to fire for Islamabad as he is the most experienced and the most vital cog in their batting line-up.

Apart from Misbah, another key man in the middle order for Islamabad is the South African left-hander JP Duminy who is coming into this tournament on the back of some good performances in international T20 Cricket. He also couldn’t get going the other evening against the Quetta Gladiators, but he has got the game for the shortest format and he is someone Islamabad will have massive hopes with, going forward in the tournament.

Bowling wise, the Englishman Steve Finn has been the pick for Islamabad, but he hasn’t got ample support from the domestic bowlers Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, and Rumman Raees. The team management will want a collective effort from the bowling unit tonight.

Predicted XI: Mohammad Sami, Misbah-ul-Haq (C), Samuel Badree, Chadwick Walton, Andre Russell, Steve Finn, Asif Ali, Hussain Talat, Rumman Raees, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf

Lahore Qalandars

The kind of squad the Lahore Qalandars have on paper, it’s hard to believe that their points’ tally is still empty. There are some gun T20 players in that squad who can make a substantial difference on their own, but the team has somehow not found a way of winning games which is an absolute shame.

However it’s never too late as they say and the Qalandars will back themselves to make a comeback from here which is surely difficult, but not impossible by any means.

In T20 Cricket, it’s all about momentum and once they start winning games, everything will start falling into place. The teams in the past have recovered from horrible starts and have made it to the knockouts in various leagues around the world and there is no reason why the Qalandars can’t lift themselves from the bottom of the standings.

However, they need their big players to step up to the plate and put on big performances. All eyes will be on Sunil Narine, Fakhar Zaman, Umar Akmal, Yasir Shah and the skipper himself, Brendon McCullum.

Predicted XI: Brendon McCullum (c), Umar Akmal, Sunil Narine, Agha Salman, Yasir Shah, Denesh Ramdin, Mustafizur Rahman, Aamer Yamin, Fakhar Zaman, Shaheen Afridi, Sohail Akhtar

Here’s what CricTracker predicts for the game

Probable Top Performers

Steve Finn (Islamabad United) | Brendon McCullum (Lahore Qalandars)

Head to Head

Matches – 4, Islamabad United– 2, Lahore Qalandars – 2, N/R – 0

Timing of the match: 09:30 pm IST

Broadcast Details

TV – D Sport

The prediction is for the Lahore Qalandars to beat the Islamabad United in this match.