SHARJAH: Almost as soon as he landed in Dubai after leading England in New Zealand, Eoin Morgan was handed the captaincy armband by the Karachi Kings ahead of their potentially explosive HBL Pakistan Super League game against defending champions Peshawar Zalmi here at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Thursday (today).
Morgan’s task: Lead the Kings to victory against his former team-mates. The England captain has played for Peshawar Zalmi previously but is now in a position to elbow them out of PSL - 3. If Kings beat Zalmi today, then the defending champions will crash out of qualification race.
Morgan will be leading the team in the absence of Karachi captain Imad Wasim, who is recovering from a nasty fall that he suffered during a match against Lahore Qalandars at the Dubai International Stadium on last Sunday night.
With the game in a crucial stage, Imad backpedalled to pluck a fine catch to dismiss Sohail Khan off Mohammad Amir but bumped his head and neck into the turf in the process. The Pakistan all-rounder was stretchered off the field. He had scans and was kept under observation on Sunday night.
However, Imad has joined the Kings after getting released from the hospital. But he will have to watch from the sidelines when Karachi take the field against Peshawar in a bid to confirm its place in the PSL playoffs.
A win in today’s game will not only secure Karachi’s progress in the next stage but will also give them a shot at a place in Sunday night’s Qualifier in Dubai. That’s because if Karachi manage to beat Peshawar and later also beat Islamabad United on Friday night then they will play for a direct spot in the March 25 finale in Karachi.
Though Morgan wasn’t in great form during the One-day International series against New Zealand, his inclusion in the playing eleven should provide a boost for Karachi.
Peshawar, meanwhile, will be looking towards their batting stars Mohammad Hafeez and Kamran Akmal to resurrect the team’s campaign to defend the coveted crown. Neither of them has yet to fire in PSL - 3 and Peshawar will be desperate to get some big knocks from them over the weekend in front of packed holiday crowds in Sharjah.