Sharjah set to host PSL matches again

DUBAI: The third leg of the Pakistan Super League-3 has come to an end and now the matches have been shifted for the second time to Sharjah from where the activity will move towards its concluding stage.

Monday being the rest day in the PSL, the 25th fixture of PSL 2018 will be contested between Multan Sultans and Islamabad United at Sharjah on Tuesday. The match will begin at 9.00 pm PST. In fact it’s a race from now on to get a berth booked in the eliminators, one of which will be played in the UAE, two in Lahore and the final at Karachi.

In the start of the Sharjah leg, Multan Sultans will be playing the match to keep their chances of making it to the play-offs alive while Islamabad United have qualified for the next round of the tournament. Islamabad United have been played seven, won five and lost two matches in the competition so far. The new comers have played nine matches, won four and lost four fixtures.

Their one game was washed out due to rain. Now as Lahore Qalandars are out of the race that leaves the five teams in contention with Peshawar Zalmi, the defending champions lingering at fifth position. The Karachi Kings and new comer Multan Sultans are at third and fourth position with none points each. Sultans have a slightly low run rate than Kings while the table topper is Quetta Gladiators have 10 points and Islamabad United is at second position also with 10 points. The faith of Zalmi will be depending on the results of other teams particularly Quetta which lost to Peshawar in the previous edition. But Quetta’s skipper is in no mood to go lenient on any of the team its going to play in the remaining matches.

Meanwhile, Quetta Gladiators is having a happy occasion in the ongoing edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL). They are currently placed at the top of the points table with 10 points to their name in the league stages. Jason Roy has reached the UAE to bolster Quetta Gladiators. This will be the first time when Roy will be playing for the Gladiators in the PSL. Last season, he was with the Lahore Qalandars. At the Gladiators camp, Roy will find company in former English cricketer Kevin Pietersen. Certainly, Roy will try to give his best shot in the format. Jason Roy has been in a fine form and in a recent ODI fixture against Australia, he hit a quickfire ton. Also, he is a renowned hitter of the cricket ball who is known for his hard-hitting approach in the powerplays. The PSL 2018 has been quite a low scoring tournament thus far.

Morgan, Hales won’t travel to Pakistan for PSL matches: England’s ODI captain Eoin Morgan and batsman Alex Hales have decided against traveling to Pakistan for their PSL teams in case their teams qualify for the last three knockout matches. Morgan and Hales, both of whom withdrew from England’s tour of Bangladesh in 2016 because of safety concerns, flew from New Zealand to join their franchises in the United Arab Emirates where the PSL group stage ends on Friday. Few overseas cricketers have appeared in Pakistan since the attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore in 2009. Two other England players who have been in New Zealand, Jason Roy and Sam Billings, have also taken personal decisions of not traveling to Pakistan.