PSL 2021: Table toppers Lahore Qalandars clash against Peshawar Zalmi today

By
Faizan Lakhani
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Lahore Qalandars fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi celebrates after dismissing a batsman. Photo: PCB

The Lahore Qalandars will look to continue their winning run in the second half of the tournament as they clash against Peshawar Zalmi today (Thursday) at the Sheikh Zayed stadium in Abu Dhabi. 

Match 17 will be the second of the double-header today in Abu Dhabi and it is expected that the dew factor will trouble bowlers to a great extent. 

Qalandars will enter the game with an edge after beating Islamabad United by 5 wickets in the league’s re-start match on Wednesday. While the win will boost Sohail Akhtar’s side, they’ll also have an advantage of getting acclimatised to the conditions more.

They’re also on top of the table with four wins from five games while Zalmi have tasted victory in three of their initial five encounters.

Wahab Riaz’s side was outclassed by Lahore Qalandars when the two teams met each other in first leg of the tournament in Karachi on February 21.

The Zalmis were restricted to 140/6 in 20 overs as Shaheen Shah Afridi took three wickets, conceding only 14 runs. Peshawar’s savior on that day was Ravi Bopara, who had scored 50, but the English cricketer is not available to Zalmi for the Peshawar leg. 

The Yellow Storm are also without their leading bowler, Saqib Mehmood, who had taken 12 wickets in the first leg of the tournament. However, the availability of David Miller will surely boost the confidence of Darren Sammy, who is now the coach of the side.

Lahore, on the other hand, seemed to have gathered momentum after their win in Abu Dhabi on the first night of action. They’ll hope for a repeat of the same performance from Rashid Khan, who displayed an all-round act to help his side beat the former champions. 

Along with Rashid, Haris Rauf, who has now 99 T20 wickets to his name, will be a key player for the Qalandars. The pacer will surely be looking to complete century of his T20 wickets.

Players to watch out for: David Miller, Wahab Riaz (Peshawar Zalmi). Rashid Khan and Haris Rauf (Lahore Qalandars)

Squads:

Peshawar Zalmi: Wahab Riaz (c), Abrar Ahmed, Amad Butt, Bismillah Khan, David Miller (partially available), Fabian Allen (partially available), Fidel Edwards (partially available), Haider Ali, Hazratullah Zazai, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Amir Khan, Mohammad Irfan Snr, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Mohammad Imran Randhawa, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Shoaib Malik, Umaid Asif and Waqar Salamkheil

Lahore Qalandars: Sohail Akhtar (c), Ahmed Danyal, Ben Dunk, Callum Ferguson, Dilbar Hussain, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, James Faulkner, Maaz Khan, Mohammad Faizan, Mohammad Hafeez, Rashid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Seekuge Prasana, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sultan Ahmed, Tim David, Zaid Alam and Zeeshan Ashraf