PSL 2022: Islamabad United and Peshawar Zalmi to lock horns today
Clash between two PSL teams starts at 2:30 pm
January 30, 2022
- 16 matches have been played so far between Peshawar Zalmi and Islamabad United in PSL history, with Zalmi winning eight and United seven games.
- This will be Islamabad United's first PSL 2022 match.
- Earlier, Zalmi did a marvellous job by conquering Gladiators by five wickets when they chased a 191-run target with just two balls to spare.
KARACHI: Peshawar Zalmi will be looking to continue their winning streak when they lock horns with former two-time champions Islamabad United in the fifth match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) at the National Stadium in Karachi today.
As many as 16 matches have been played so far between the two teams in PSL history, with Zalmi winning eight of them and United ensuring victories in seven games. One match was abandoned. Here at the National Stadium, both the teams faced each other three times, with Zalmis emerging victorious in two matches while United conquered their opposition once.
The match starts at 2:30 pm.
Earlier, the Zalmis did a marvellous job by conquering Gladiators by five wickets when they chased a 191-run target with just two balls to spare. Shoaib Malik (48*) and Hussain Talat (52) set up Zalmi’s win with their positive batting.
Young Yasir Khan, earlier, blasted a 12-ball 30 on his debut while opening the innings and set the tone. In bowling, almost every one of Zalmi’s bowlers struggled due to excellent batting from Will Smeed (97) and Ahsan Ali (73). Leggie Usman Qadir did a fine job and created some cracks in the middle by taking the wickets of dangerous-looking Ahsan Ali and Ben Duckett in one over that dented the Gladiators’ run-flow. Gladiators were a few runs short although after 15 overs it had seemed they would easily cross the 200-run mark.
It will be the first game of Islamabad United in this event and it will be seen how they tackle Zalmi, who look a good side and have the experience of Shoaib Malik, who in the first match also captained the side in place of Wahab who missed the show because of his isolation following a Covid positive test.
If Wahab Riaz is available for today’s game, Zalmis will get a boost in their bowling attack.
Islamabad United, who won the titles in 2016 and 2018, are a dangerous side on paper. They are being led by the country’s fine all-rounder Shadab Khan, who has a massive experience of playing in T20 leagues around the world. They also have the services of Asif Ali, Azam Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Colin Munro, Danish Aziz, Mohammad Huraira and all-rounder Paul Sterling.
Hasan Ali will lead the bowling pack, which also features Mohammad Wasim Junior, Mohammad Musa, Faheem Ashraf, Athar Mahmood and spinners Zafar Gohar and Mubasir Khan, who both are also very good batsmen.
Aleem Dar and Ahsan Raza will supervise the match while Shozab Raza will be the third umpire, Imtiaz Iqbal fourth umpire and Mohammad Javed match referee.
