DUBAI: Lahore Qalandars, buoyed by their win against Islamabad United on Saturday, will take on an equally zealous Peshawar Zalmi at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium tonight.
Qalandars are fresh off their six-wicket triumph over Islamabad United and will look to ride on opener Jason Roy’s explosive form with the bat and all-rounder Grant Elliott’s magic with the ball. Brendon McCullum’s men had lost their first match of this PSL on Friday against Quetta Gladiators in a low-scoring thriller.
Zalmi thrashed Karachi Kings on Friday night by seven wickets, courtesy of Eoin Morgan’s unbeaten 80, after losing the PSL 2017 opener against Islamabad United.
The two teams clashed twice in last year’s PSL. Zalmi won the first encounter by nine wickets, while Qalandars won the second one by four runs.
Jason Roy is a key player in the Qalandars’ batting lineup. He will look to carry forward the momentum from his unbeaten knock of 60 off 51 balls against United.
Eyes are on McCullum as well to stay longer at the crease, although his quickfire innings in the previous two matches put the opponents well under pressure early on in the games.
Elliott is in red-hot form with the ball and will look to deliver for the Qalandars by targetting crucial wickets of Morgan, Dawid Malan and Kamran Akmal.
For Zalmi, Morgan will be the player to look out for. Pressure is at an all-time high on Mohammad Hafeez, who has failed to deliver with the bat so far in the tournament.
Squads
Lahore Qalandars: Brendon McCullum (captain), Sunil Narine, Umar Akmal, Yasir Shah, Sohail Tanvir, Cameron Delport, Mohammad Rizwan, Azhar Ali, Zafar Gohar, Grant Elliot, Fakhar Zaman, Bilawal Bhatti, Ghulam Mudassar, Aamir Yamin, Usman Qadir, Saif Badar, Jason Roy, Chris Green, James Franklin, Muhammad Irfan
Support staff: Aqib Javed (Director Cricket Operations), Paddy Upton (Coach), Brendon McCullum (Mentor), Shawn Bradstreet (Fielding Coach), Mudassar Nazar (Icon), Fawad Rana (Chairman), Atif Rana (Cheif Executive Officer), Sameen Rana (Cheif Operating Officer), H.E Sultan Bin Jassim Al Thani (Patron In Chief).
Peshawar Zalmi: Darren Sammy, Shahid Afridi, Sohaib Maqsood, Eoin Morgan, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Hafeez, Chris Jordan, Kamran Akmal, Iftikhar Ahmed, Haris Sohail, Hassan Ali, Mohammad Asghar, Khushdil Shah, Junaid Khan, Imran Khan Jr, M. Irfan Khan, Marlon Samuels, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Samit Patel, Dawid Malan
Support staff: Owner: Javed Afridi (Haier Pakistan), CEO: Zeeshan Afzal, Manager: Abdul Rehman, President Peshawar Zalmi: Shahid Afridi, Head Coach/Director: Mohammad Akram, Batting Coach/Mentor: Younis Khan, Fielding Coach/Fitness Trainer: Grant Luden (South Africa).