PSL 2020, Match 11, Peshawar Zalmi vs Lahore Qalandars, Preview – Sohail Akhtar and Co aim to register their first victory of the tournament

Lahore Qalandars have suffered six consecutive defeats against Peshawar Zalmi.

Published - 27 Feb 2020, 18:28 IST | Updated - 27 Feb 2020, 18:28 IST

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Lahore Qalandars is not having a good time in the 5th edition of PSL as they are yet to taste their first win in the tournament. On paper, their side looks quite strong but the players have so far failed to come out with some good teamwork.

In the previous games, Mohammad Hafeez managed to click a magical knock of 98 runs but he didn’t get enough support from the other end. The poor form of Chris Lynn turning out to be another big headache for the team. All these things are the main reason behind Qalandars’ suffering in this tournament.

Peshawar Zalmi also look a bit pale, who have suffered two defeats in their three outings. It is surprising to see a poor performance from a side that is equipped with some of the biggest T20 specialists like Tom Banton, Liam Livingstone and Kamran Akmal.

A sudden dip in the form of Banton and Livingstone is making it difficult for Zalmi to cope up with it. They will be hopeful that their batsmen to regain their prime form soon before its too late. However, one positive that they have on their end, is the brilliance of their bowlers, who are giving a tough fight to the opponents.

Team Combination

Lahore Qalandars

Lahore Qalandars team management can take some tough steps in the upcoming clash. They might replace Chris Lynn–who is in poor form– with Salman Butt as he is still waiting for a chance in the dugout. Fakhar Zaman is the sure-shot runner to open the innings from the other end. The experiment to play Mohammad Hafez on number three emerged as a biggest positive, who played an amazing knock of 98 runs off 57 balls for his team. Sohail Akhtar and Dane Villas will be taking care of the middle-order.

In bowling, there is nothing much to tinker for Qalandars with Shaheen Afridi, Usman Shinwari and Haris Rauf leading their fast bowling attack. Meanwhile, Sami Patel is playing an important role of a spin head in the team. However, there is a scope for a change as the team management can bring Seekkuge Prasanna as a replacement for Faizan Khan to bring some reinforcement in the spin bowling department. It can turn out to be a wise step by Qalandars team management ahead of the upcoming game.

Playing XI:- Chris Lynn/Salman Butt, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Dane Vilas, Sohail Akhtar (C), Faizan Khan/Seekkuge Prasanna, Samit Patel, David Wiese, Haris Rauf, Usman Shinwari, Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Peshawar Zalmi

Peshawar Zalmi’s main problem is the poor form of Tom Banton and Shoaib Malik as they have stopped smoking runs with the bat. They might be left out in the next game but the chances are quite slim due to their reputation of match-winner that they have earned from across the globe. Hence, Zalmi will look to give another go to these two players before giving an opportunity to the other players in the dugout.

Liam Livingstone might be asked to bat at No.3 in order to play the role of sheet anchor in the match. Hussain Talat muscled 47 runs off 27 balls against Multan Sultans. And, he would look to replicate the same in the next encounter. On the other hand, there is no problem in the fast bowling unit that comprises of Hasan Ali, Rahat Ali and Wahab Riaz. Mohammad Amir Khan, who gave runs at an economy rate of 17.50 against Multan Sultans might make a way for Umar Amin, who will be like a like replacement for Peshawar Zalmi in the bowling line up.

Playing XI:- Kamran Akmal (wk), Tom Banton, Liam Livingstone, Haider Ali, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Amir Khan/Umar Amin, Liam Dawson, Darren Sammy (C), Hasan Ali, Rahat Ali, Wahab Riaz

The focus will be on

Kamran Akmal (Peshawar Zalmi)

Kamran Akmal can be reckoned as ‘Mr PSL’, who has once again hit his peach form with the bat. The veteran player has already scored a hundred at the beginning of the tournament. And, it looks like there are some more match-winning knocks from Akmal are on the way. There is no doubt over the fact that if he managed to smoke runs with the bat the chances of Peshawar Zalmi winning the game will be quite high.

Mohammad Hafeez (Lahore Qalandars)

Mohammad Hafeez played a blistering knock in the previous game with the bat. He missed out his century by just two runs as he scored 98 runs off 57 balls studded seven sixes and as many boundaries. He marked his arrival in the form and it is an alarming bell for the opponent bowlers. The right-handed player can well contribute with the ball and bat. And, his performance will decide the fate of Lahore Qalandars in the upcoming encounter.