Gladiators face uphill task as they take on Zalmi today

KARACHI: Following two massive defeats in their first two games it will be a real test for the 2019 champions Quetta Gladiators to stage a comeback when they lock horns with Peshawar Zalmi on Friday (today) in their vital fixture of the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2021 here at National Stadium.

The match starts at 8 pm.

Quetta will direly miss Chris Gayle who has left to join the West Indies team for the T20 series against Sri Lanka.

Gayle was the leading scorer for Gladiators in both their lost games by scoring 39 and 68. Gayle will, however, return for the Lahore leg. Quetta have already roped in former South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis as a partial cover for Gayle. Faf, who had made his PSL debut in the play-offs for Zalmi last year, has already arrived and is available for selection for today’s game, a Gladiators team source told ‘The News’.

Faf will not feel any difficulty to adjust as he recently played a Test here. Quetta will need to raise their standard both in batting and bowling if they are to defeat Zalmi, a well-balanced side, smartly handled by his head coach Darren Sammy. Their fielding was also a matter of great concerns in their previous game against Lahore as a few vital catches went down at crucial stages of the game. Quetta need to utilise power-play well as scoring more in the initial six overs will benefit the team. Quetta lacked experience in their bowling and mostly their bowling unit bowled short-pitched deliveries during the previous two games on pitches where they needed to hit the right areas which is the only option to contain the batsmen.

Otherwise scoring 12 runs in an over in the final five overs never has been a problem for the teams batting second to achieve their targets.

South Africa’s fast bowler Dale Steyn will add to the bowling strength as he is here and is available for today’s game against Zalmi.

In the first game Quetta were outclassed by Karachi Kings by seven wickets. Quetta scored 121 all out with Gayle making 39. Kings raced to the target in the 14th over. This was followed by another massive nine-wicket defeat at the hands of Lahore Qalandars. Quetta scored 178-6 with Gayle (68) and Sarfraz (41) leaving impact.

Lahore achieved the target with ten balls to spare after losing just one wicket thanks to Fakhar Zaman (82) and Hafeez (73*).

Quetta skipper Sarfraz Ahmad will need to keep cool, give confidence to his bowlers instead of getting angry as it further downs the morale of the players.

Zalmi, who lost their first game against Lahore Qalandars by four wickets, seemed in much better mood when they downed Multan Sultans by six wickets. They chased the 194-run target with six balls to spare.

English batsman Tom Kohler-Cadmore was the main architect who set up the win with a solid 32-ball 53, striking six fours and one six. Zalmi’s Ravi Bopara and Amad Butt missed their previous game due to some niggles and if they returned then it would strengthen Zalmi.

This is the first time both outfits are facing each other in this event.

Both teams have faced each other 16 times in the PSL, with Quetta having won eight and Zalmi emerging victorious in seven.

Peshawar Zalmi: Abrar Ahmed, Amad Butt, Haider Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Akmal, Tom-Kohler Cadmore, Mohammad Amir Khan, Mohammad Irfan Snr, Mohammad Imran, Mohammad Imran Randhawa, Mujeeb-Ur-Rehman, Ravi Bopara, Saqib Mahmood, Sherfane Rutherford, Shoaib Malik, Umaid Asif, Wahab Riaz (captain)

Quetta Gladiators: Abdul Nasir, Anwar Ali, Arish Ali Khan, Azam Khan, Ben Cutting, Faf du Plessis, Cameron Delport, Dale Steyn, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Qais Ahmad, Saim Ayub, Sarfraz Ahmed (captain), Tom Banton, Usman Khan, Usman Shinwari, Zahid Mahmood, Hassan Khan.