More misery on cards for Qalandars

RAWALPINDI: Persistent rain that lashed out Rawalpindi and Islamabad has caused further discomfort in the Lahore Qalandars’ camp as in case of a washout of their match against Peshawar Zalmi on Saturday afternoon at the Pindi Stadium, the defending champions’ chances of making it to PSL Nine playoffs would diminish even further.

Forecast suggests that there will be no reprieve in rain going into Saturday morning. In all likelihood, the day match between Zalmi and Qalandars will be affected by rain or wet weather.

In that case, Qalandars will get their first point. Qalandars so far have lost all their six matches, exhibiting poor form in all departments of the game, especially in the bowling department which has been considered their strongest point. Bowling could not come up to their rescue, neither the foreign pick HE van der Dussan (300 runs in aggregate) has made any decisive impact to their depleted position.

A washout on Saturday would mean that Qalandars could get a maximum of seven points from ten outings which possibly would not be enough to take them to playoffs. Qalandars’ skipper Shaheen Afridi, who was also named as the captain of the national team ahead of the five-match away T20 series against New Zealand a few months back, is experiencing a nightmare. As a leader (both Pakistan and Qalandars), he has lost ten out of 11 matches.

For Zalmi, even one point from the expected washout would be enough to keep them alive and in the company of the top three teams on the table. From five games, Zalmi have gathered six points so far.

Team’s spearhead Babar Azam is going through a purple patch having scored a century on his way to accumulate 330 runs with a stunning average of over 82 runs per innings. Saim Ayub (175 runs) in five innings has shown glimpses of powerful stroke-making. However, he has yet to get into full bloom.

The second match on the double header day would see hosts Islamabad United taking on Quetta Gladiators. United have picked up just four points from five outings. Islamabad are currently placed at No 3 on the points table and are eagerly looking forward to a win against Gladiators team which has been served well by foreign players.

Rutherford’s powerful knock the other day against Karachi Kings and R Rossouw’s role as a leader is making a serious impact on the team’s performance. J Roy’s (200 runs) power hitting upfront has already dented opposition spirits. The spin trio Abrar Ahmad, Aqeel Hosein and new find Usman Tariq is making its impact on the ninth edition of PSL in an emphatic way.

Currently placed at No 2 on the table, Gladiators have been the most impressive team in the league alongside Multan Sultan. Even one point from the likely washout on Saturday would be enough for Quetta to retain their place.

For Islamabad United, every game from here on is crucial. Team’s head coach Mike Hesson believes that top players will have to maintain a run scoring tempo. “It is the responsibility of top order players to keep up run scoring temp, rather leaving it to other batsmen to plug the game. I am looking forward to that contribution from my top-order.”

TODAY'S FIXTURE

Qalandar vs Zalmi

1:00 pm PST

TODAY'S FIXTURE

United vs Gladiators

6:00 pm PST