Patriot Report:
Peshawar Zalmi will take on Quetta Gladiators in the first qualifying final of the inaugural edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL) today. The duel between Zalmis and Gladiators is currently level at one-a-piece from the group stages. Quetta Gladiators were victorious by 3 wickets when the two sides met at Dubai; however Peshawar took revenge in Sharjah with a comprehensive 8-wickets victory. Peshawar and Quetta finished first and second respectively winning 6 games each and losing two each. Peshawar Zalmi however finished at the top of the table due to their superior net run rate. The match between the two teams will also see the fiery Zalmi pacer Wahab Riaz resume his tussle with Gladiators volatile opener Ahmad Shahzad. The two had a heated confrontation when the last time these two teams met.
Quetta who entered the tournament as one of the underdogs surprised everyone under the captaincy of Pakistan wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed. English batsman Kevin Pietersen and all rounder Luke Wright have also played a key role in Quetta’s impressive performances. However, it would be unjust to single out just two stand out players from a side in which so many players have performed. Sarfraz Ahmed, Ahmad Shahzad, Muhammad Nawaz and Afghanistan all rounder Muhammad Nabi have all played match winning roles in different games. Nabi however has left due to international commitments and will be replaced by New Zealand all rounder Nathan McCullum. Grant Elliott and Kumar Sangakkara who joined late have further strengthened the team and many experts rate the Quetta Gladiators as the team to beat in the PSL.
Peshawar Zalmi on the other hand have relied heavily on their pace attack, spin wizard Muhammad Asghar and their opening batting duo of Tamim Iqbal and Muhammad Hafeez. Skipper Shahid Afridi and West Indies all rounder Darren Sammy have also chipped in when needed. However, it was Australian Brad Hodge who has recently joined Zalmi that stole the show in the team’s last game. The Aussie’s swashbuckling innings of 85 of just 45 deliveries against Karachi snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. Today’s encounter promises to be an exciting affair, Quetta seem to have the stronger side but T20’s can be unpredictable, the unpredictability factor of the Zalmi side increases even more considering they are led by the mercurial Shahid Afridi who could either be absolutely devastating on his day or utterly disappointing.