PSL 2020, Match 8, Multan Sultans vs Peshawar Zalmi, Preview – Off-beat Sultans aim to outclass Shan Masood and Co

Peshawar Zalmi won their previous game by a margin of six wickets against defending champions Quetta Gladiators.

Published - 25 Feb 2020, 18:40 IST | Updated - 25 Feb 2020, 18:40 IST

2 Min Read

Peshawar Zalmi and Multan Sultans both the sides have won 1 out of their two games in PSL 2020. But, the run rate has played the difference between the two balanced sides. Now, on Wednesday, they will lock horns at Multan Cricket Stadium in Multan. It is going to be an enthralling game between Zalmi and Sultans as their players have shown some glimpses of their good form in the ongoing tournament.

Peshawar Zalmi ended up winning their previous game on the back of the magical knock played by Kamran Akmal. And, he was well supported by his skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed, who mustered 41 runs with his willow. Their bowlers also did an impressive job as they managed to restrict defending champions from posting a mammoth total. Wahab Riaz emerged as the leading wicket-taker in that match as he registered good bowling figures of 2/21. He was well supported by other bowlers in the team from the other end.

Multan Sultans had a poor previous game, who lost the match by a big margin of eight wickets. The main reason behind their defeat was the poor performances of their bowlers as they failed to restrict the opponents from chasing the target. They looked pale and were smacked for boundaries and sixes effortlessly. Meanwhile, the batsmen came with much stronger performance against Zalmi in comparison to the previous ones. It will be interesting to watch on how they will retaliate going head to head against Peshawar Zalmi.

Team Combination

Multan Sultans

Multan Sultans are expected to go with same pair opening pair that comprises of Fakhar Zaman and James Vince. The duo helped their side in getting off to a good start. Later on, the middle order collapsed as Moeen Ali and Rilee Rossouw were dismissed without clicking good knocks with the bat.

But still, Sultans will favour them as a part of the team duo to their T20 experience. They have got another astonishing player in their side named Zeeshan Ashraf, who played a blissfull knock of 50 runs off 29 balls. The aforementioned are expected to play in the upcoming clash whereas there is not much need to tinker the bowling line up.

Only one place where they can opt for a change is an -rounder. They are fully equipped with different exciting players in their rank. So, they can give a go to an overseas all-rounder Ravi Bopara in the next game as a replacement for Khushdil Shah in their side.

Playing XI: Shan Masood (C), James Vince, Rilee Rossouw, Moeen Ali, Khushdil Shah, Shahid Afridi, Zeeshan Ashraf (WK), Sohail Tanvir, Imran Tahir, Mohammad Irfan/Junaid Khan, Mohammad Ilyas

Peshawar Zalmi

Peshawar Zalmi has nothing much to worry with their player performing in their top-notch form. They are expected to come out with their winning combination against Multan Sultans. Kamran Akmal and Tom Banton will open the innings for their side followed by Haider Ali, Shoaib Malik and Liam Livingstone in the middle-order.

But, the team management of Zalmi might tinker the batting order of the team with Livingstone expected to come at number three and Haider Ali might come at number 5. Everyone is aware that Livingstone is a match-winner, who has proved it on several occasions. So, using him in the lower middle order doesn’t make any sense.

In the meantime, their fast bowling trio that comprises of Rahat Ali, Hasan Ali and Wahab Riaz are making it difficult for the batsmen on the wicket. Their accurate yorkers and headbanging bouncers are enough to make batter dance on the rhythm of their bowling.

One place where they get exposed is their middle order in which Shoaib Malik has so far failed to click a single match-defining knock in the tournament. But fans can expect a good inning from him in the next match against Multan Sultans.

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

The focus will be on

Kamran Akmal (Peshawar Zalmi)

In Pakistan Super League, Kamran Akmal’s ability to score runs cannot be compared with any other batsmen in the league. In the previous game, he scored his third PSL ton. He is in prolific form with the bat in the fifth edition of the tournament. At the moment he is the leading run-scorer in PSL 2020 with 144 runs. Moreover, he is also the all-time leading run-scorer in the history of this tournament with 1430 runs in 49 games with three tons and nine half-centuries.

Moeen Ali (Multan Sultans)

Moeen Ali is an extremely good all-rounder, who can single-handedly win games for his team. But, he has so far failed to score runs with the bat and grab wickets with his bowling. He is struggling with a poor form in the tournament. However, one interesting thing about him is that he always marks a strong comeback into his prime. And, what if that game is going to be against Peshawar Zalmi. His performance is going to play an important role in the outcome of the match on Wednesday.