PSL 2022: Ben Cutting, Usman Qadir test postive for Covid-19, set to miss playoffs

Peshawar Zalmi faced a major setback with three of their names in the team testing positive for Covid-19 and they will not be available for the playoffs. All-rounder Ben Cutting and leg spinner Usman Qadir have been the two players to have contracted the virus alongside batting consultant Hashim Amla. They will have to undergo isolation for seven days according to the protocols which means that they won’t be available for the playoffs against Islamabad United on Thursday.

The Peshawar side led by veteran bowler Wahab Riaz finished third in the points table of the league stages with six wins in ten games and have won all their last four games to make a dramatic comeback towards the second phase of PSL 2022 at the Gadaffi Stadium in Lahore. Mohammad Harris has been a revelation at the top order for the Peshawar Zalmi side and it helped the turnaround for the side.

Cutting meanwhile has played some useful knocks in the middle order with 197 runs in 9 innings at a strike rate of 164.16 and has scored an unbeaten half-century as well. He is the second-highest run-getter for the Peshawar side in the season and will be a major miss for the playoffs while Qadir has picked up eight wickets in the seven games he has played at an economy rate of over 10. Both these batters will be available for the finals given that the Peshawar Zalmi side qualifies from the playoffs.

Peshawar Zalmi clinch a thriller against Lahore Qalandars in a super over

The Peshawar side set a target of 159 for the Lahore Qalandars to chase down in the final game of the league stages and the Lahore Qalandars almost pulled off a thriller with the heroics from skipper Shaheen Afridi towards the end with the bat. The scores were tied and the game went into the super over in which the Peshawar Zalmi ended up on the winning side. Wahab Riaz had an excellent outing with the ball while in form batter Shoaib Malik made a merry of the bowling.