Peshawar, Quetta face-off at National Stadium today

KARACHI: Former champions and three-time runners-up Peshawar Zalmi will lock horns with former champions Quetta Gladiators in their opener of the HBL PSL-7 here at the National Stadium on Friday (today).

The match begins at 7pm.

Peshawar Zalmi will be missing their skipper Wahab Riaz who is in isolation after returning a Covid positive test. Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik will captain Zalmi, the champions of the 2017 edition, in Friday’s showpiece.

Both sides have so far been proved as tough opponents in the history of PSL. Overall, both outfits have faced each other 17 times and of them Zalmi have a slight advantage as they have won nine matches while in eight encounters Quetta Gladiators emerged victorious.

Here at the National Stadium, four matches have been played between the two teams and they share two victories each.

Zalmi, besides Wahab Riaz’s blow, will also miss Kamran Akmal and pacer Arshad Iqbal who are also in quarantine following covid positive tests a few days ago.

In the previous two seasons Zalmi had an upper hand as they swept all the four matches, two each in a season. Quetta played below their strength during the last two seasons. However, this time Quetta look more balanced and particularly their pace bowling may unsettle Zalmi’s fine batting line-up.

During a news conference the other day, Quetta Gladiators skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed had rated their bowling high. They have speedster Mohammad Hasnain, who had a fine BBL debut recently which bewildered the batsmen with his unusual speed.

Naseem Shah, showed great prowess in CPL, will also prove lethal for the oppositions. In addition, they also have the experience of Sohail Tanvir besides having left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz and Iftikhar Ahmed.

The 20-year old English batsman Will Smeed, Dan Lawrence, Ben Duckett and Australian all-rounder James Faulkner would add batting variety to Gladiators who also have Ahsan Ali, Iftikhar, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Umar Akmal.

“This time I have more confidence in my bowling and I have firm hope that our bowling line-up will give good performances. Boys have got experience. Hasnain also has become experienced and has returned from Big Bash after a fine show there. Naseem Shah has bowled superbly in the CPL, and there is the experience of Sohail Tanvir and James Faulkner.