APL 2018, Match 8, Kabul Zwanan vs Kandahar Knights, Preview: Rampant Rashid Army lock horns with the wounded Knights

A win here is very crucial for the Knights to stay alive but it won't be easy at all.

Published - 11 Oct 2018, 10:58 IST | Updated - 11 Oct 2018, 10:58 IST

2 Min Read

After a power-packed win on Tuesday against the Leopards, Kabul Zwanan are certainly flying high and are aiming for something very big this season. Barring a disappointing performance in their second game, they’ve been ruthless with their approach, especially with the bat.

Hazratullah Zazai’s incredible ton was one of the moments of the tournament as the youngster managed to pluck the bones out of every bowler. He not only managed to give the fans some good moments but also strengthened his chances of making it to the national World Cup squad next year.

The story has been very different on the other side as the Knights have lost both their opening games and are rock bottom in the standings. A win here is very crucial for them to stay alive but it won’t be easy against Rashid Khan‘s army, who are firmly the favourites to bag the two points in this fixture.

Playing Combinations

Kabul Zwanan

Hazratullah and Luke Ronchi will be opening the innings for Kabul and in the middle order, they have some experienced names like Javed Ahmadi, Colin Ingram and Laurie Evans. Rashid Khan will come in at number 6 or 7 to finish off the innings. The skipper will hold the key with the ball as well with support coming from Wayne Parnell, Fareed Ahmad and Zahir Shehzad.

Predicted XI: Luke Ronchi (wk), Hazratullah Zazai, Colin Ingram, Laurie Evans, Javed Ahmadi, Shahidullah Kamal, Rashid Khan (c), Wayne Parnell, Fareed Ahmad, Nijat Masood, Zahir Shehzad

Kandahar Knights

Paul Stirling and Brendon McCullum’s explosive nature at the top is something the Knights will be banking on heavily. They have decent experience in the middle order as with the presence of skipper Asghar Afghan, Kevin O’Brien and Najibullah Zadran. Tymal Mills will lead the bowling attack and will be accompanied by UAE’s medium pacer Sayed Shirzad and local left-arm spinner Amir Hamza.

Predicted XI: Brendon McCullum, Paul Stirling, Karim Sadiq (wk), Asghar Afghan (c), Karim Janat, Kevin O’Brien, Najibullah Zadran, Tymal Mills/Taskin Ahmed, Amir Hamza, Sayed Shirzad, Waqar Salamkheil

Focus will be on

Hazratullah Zazai (Kabul Zwanan)

After a knock of that calibre, it is obvious that the 20-year-old Hazratullah Zazai will be under the scanner for this game. The coming few games will provide a stern test for the youngster as living up to the rising expectation is no easy game to play. The southpaw has shown enough potential thus far and will be keen to provide a few more of such innings for his captain in the tournament.

Brendon McCullum (Kandahar Knights)

A modern-day legend of the game, Brendon McCullum seems a wee-bit rusty, which is not surprising considering he’s a retired player now. But the Kiwi great still has some good cricket left in him and as he’s often touted as one of the “Big match players”, it’ll be interesting to see if he chips in for the side in this very important fixture.