PSL Match 9, Quetta Gladiators vs Peshawar Zalmi: Preview

The Quetta Gladiators (QUE) have sensational Naseem Shah and Mohammad Hasnain as important cogs in the wheel of their pace battery, but the Peshawar Zalmi (PES) have the class of Babar Azam and rewarding experience of Wahab Riaz. In the end, the game will also test the captaincy skills of Sarfaraz Ahmed and Babar Azam. The Zalmi camp is led by Azam while Sarfaraz Ahmed leads the Gladiators’ side.

Players to watch out for

Aggression at the top is an advantage Zalmi. The opening pair comprising skipper Azam and the dashing wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Haris is pretty dangerous. Both of them are fully capable of going after Shah and Hasnain from the word go. The Zalmis are lucky to have Tom Kohler-Cadmore from England in their ranks. In their middle-order, they have crafty all-rounders Jimmy Neesham from New Zealand and Rovman Powell from West Indies.

Moreover, the 21-year-old Saim Ayub comes to bat as one drop for the Zalmis. Ayub has already attracted a lot of attention due to his batting prowess and ability to score at a brisk pace with a lot of intent and courage. He is definitely a player to watch out for.

A batting line-up comprising Azam, Haris, Ayub, Cadmore, Neesham and Powell looks pretty robust. In the bowling department, the Zalmis seem blessed to have old war horse Wahab Riaz, Salman Irshad, Mujeeb from Afghanistan, and the two handy all-rounders in Jimmy Neesham and Aamer Jamal.

On the other hand, the Gladiators have experienced batters in Martin Guptill, Mohammad Hafeez, Iftikhar Ahmed, Jason Roy and skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed. Their middle-order seems a little brittle due to the prolonged poor form of now veteran Umar Akmal. Their bowling, however, remains their strength.

Naseem Shah and Mohammad Hasnain showed that they can handle a pressure cooker situation when they defended well against the Karachi Kings to win the game by six runs. The Gladiators also have a skilful all-rounder, Mohammad Nawaz in their camp. 

The game is important for both the Zalmis as well as the Gladiators. As of now, the Multan Sultans led by Mohammad Rizwan are leading the Points Table with three wins (six points) from four games while the Zalmis and the Gladiators have won one game, each, and lost one from two.

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