Hello and welcome to PtvSport’s live coverage of this PSL fixture between the Multan Sultans and Karachi Kings. I am Shashwat Kumar and I will take you through everything that happens in this potentially fascinating contest.
Right. That will be that from us for tonight. Hope you enjoyed our coverage as much as we enjoyed bringing it to. Until next time, this is me (Shashwat) signing off on behalf of Thilak and everyone else at ESPNcricinfo! Goodbye, goodnight and take care!
Shadab Khan, Islamabad United captain: The way Azam batted today, I have not seen an innings of this kind. We know this is his calibre and we believe he can do this consistently. We are very happy. He is the son of a former cricketer so he has to handle a lot of pressure. The way he is performing, despite the pressure, is a good sign for us. In T20, you have more bad days than good. We have created a team in such a way that we have maximum match-winners. We look at match-ups and data. We tried to test our players and that is why I won the toss and elected to bat. All of our bowlers bowled well in a game where almost 400 runs were scored. I give more importance to my gut feeling (than data), and always back it (my gut feeling).
Azam Khan is the Player of the Match, here is what he has to say: It can be one of my best T20 innings. Playing in the middle order, you do not get a lot of balls to set yourself. I had to go there and be positive today. I think it is all because of my dad. He has made me mentally tough. It is not easy being the son of a former cricketer in this country. I think he must be really happy but a bit sad as well because his team lost. When you are inside the rope, you can’t play for the relation. I am sure he will be happy for me and good luck to them for the rest of the games. (On what he thinks makes him successful) I think it is all about the mindset and what I believe in. I usually go for range hitting and I can check my shots if they are clearing the boundary or not.
Sarfaraz Ahmed, Quetta Gladiators captain: I was not expecting the sort of innings Azam played. The way he played in the end was very outstanding. A lot of his sixes were off good balls and I can’t praise him enough for it. We did not execute our plans in the last four overs. When you have such a big score in front of you, and when your top three batters get out, it becomes difficult. We have a 4-5 day gap and we will talk to the boys, field better, bowl well and bat a lot better.
Asif Ali: (On his partnership with Azam) I would like to congratulate everyone at Islamabad United for winning the game. We discussed about seeing what the ball was doing for an over or two and that we would back ourselves to hit the ball that were pitched in our areas. The idea is to go after the deliveries that land in our arc. Even if we mishit them, it is not a problem. This is my eighth season and our unity, even among those who are sitting outside, is beautiful. Those watching also laud our unity and it only happens when we are happy for one another and we back each other. I have played a lot under Shadab, and my best wishes are with him always.
10:39pm That turned into a one-sided contest in the end. The Gladiators were rocked early, with Guptill, Roy and Smeed all departing inside the powerplay. Hafeez threatened for a bit but the game slid further away from the Gladiators post his dismissal. Sarfaraz scored a few runs but his approach was quite puzzling, especially considering the required run-rate. Ifitikhar, too, struck a couple of lusty blows but it was too little, too late by then.
As for Islamabad, well, they would be happy with the way they bowled. Hasan was a touch expensive but ended up picking three wickets. The star of the bowling show, though, was Abrar, who gave away only 21 runs and dented the Gladiators inside the powerplay. Shadab also produced a double-wicket over in the 16th and bowled with good control on a flat track. The result means that the Gladiators are firmly rooted to the foot of the table; Islamabad, meanwhile, are now breathing down Multan’s necks at the perch.
Oh, wow! That was a very, very special batting performance from Islamabad and Azam, in particular. They found themselves in some strife, getting reduced to 71-4 inside 10 overs. But then, Azam took matters into his own hands. The loss of wickets did not bother him and he continued on his merry way, helping Islamabad amass 143 runs in the final 10 overs. Asif also played his part, as did Munro at the top of the order but tonight, so far, belongs to Azam and his epic knock.
The Gladiators did not quite help himself by bowling on both sides of the wicket. Their ploy to bowl short at Azam also backfired and by the time they understood they were erring, it was too late and the momentum was completely with Islamabad. The Gladiators have a strong batting unit themselves but they will need something spectacular to turn this around. Do join us in a bit for the run-chase!
Azam Khan: (On his thought process) To be very honest, I knew I was in good form. I was batting well in the BPL and was trying to continue it. We were four wickets down and I was thinking of taking it deep and I have the belief that I can change the game at any moment. I practice range hitting so that I get a good idea about my strokes. T20 cricket is so fast at the moment and you need the acceleration at the right moment. (On his missed century) I was eyeing that century and if I would have gotten to the century, it would have been a huge milestone. The way my father has supported me, it is special. A lot of people said I could not play, and that I would stay behind because of my father (Moin Khan) but I am what I am because of him.
Hello and welcome to ESPNcricinfo’s coverage of today’s PSL game between Peshawar Zalmi and Islamabad United from Karachi. I am Abhimanyu and will be joined soon by Danyal Rasool. Yesterday’s game was an absolute classic and hopefully we can get similar entertainment today! Islamabad United have won one and lost one this season, while Peshawar Zalmi have two wins in three games.
Well, that was an entertaining 20 overs! Zalmi got off to the perfect start, courtesy Mohammad Haris and Babar Azam. But once Haris fell after the powerplay with 76 runs on the board, they suffered a collapse, falling to 99 for 5. Hasan Ali was the wrecker-in-chief with the ball, picking three wickets including two in an over that saw Kohler-Cadmore and Powell castled. Babar anchored well, finishing unbeaten on 75, but was not able to provide the kind of acceleration they would have wanted at the death. Now Islamabad United need 157 to win. Be back with us shortly, with Danyal returning to take you through the first 10 overs of the chase.
Hello, everyone! Let’s do this. Islamabad have barely played at all so far, but here they are once more. Babar Azam opens with Mohammad Haris, and Rumman Raees gets us underway
6.55pm Time to welcome Danyal into the hot seat.
Rakitha : “Good to see Shanaka in forign leagues.Busy days for him”
6.40pm Here are the XIs:
Peshawar Zalmi: Babar Azam (capt), Mohammad Haris (wk), Saim Ayub, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Rovman Powell, Dasun Shanaka, James Neesham, Wahab Riaz, Usman Qadir, Arshad Iqbal, Sufyan Muqeem
Islamabad United: Colin Munro, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rassie van der Dussen, Shadab Khan (capt), Azam Khan (wk), Asif Ali, Mubasir Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Tom Curran, Hasan Ali, Rumman Raees
6.30pm And it’s toss time! Islamabad United win the toss and choose to bowl.
6.25pm Inam: “Hi good evening, yesterday match was really a nail bitter.” Indeed it was. And here’s how it went down in the death
That will be all from us tonight! It was a game that Peshawar Zalmi started strong in, but once Hasan Ali had his double-wicket over, there was no looking back for Islamabad United. Here’s Danyal’s report, in case you missed the action. United will be back in action tomorrow, when they take on Quetta Gladiators. This is Abhimanyu, signing off on behalf of Danyal and Binoy George. Goodnight everyone!
10.30pm Time for the presentation ceremony.
Hasan Ali, player of the match: I didn’t play the first two games, but I keep dreaming. I was working ard in the nets. I got an opportunity and the first over didn’t go well. I would like to thank the staff. I would also like to thank one more person. She has always pushed me hard. My wife, I would like to thank her today. I always believed that this ball belonged to me. The ball was swinging a little and I knew I could get the better of this lineup. [On his celebrations]: When the junior guys found out that I was playing, they said they want to celebrate with me so it was for them.
Shadab Khan: [On if he had doubts they would win after Zalmi’s Powerplay performance] No, definitely not. T20 cricket, it can change any time. So even after the first six overs we knew we could come back. We had to hit the hard lengths. After bowling the first few balls, I knew the slower balls would work. [On how he will fit Alex Hales into the team] We don’t know how to! But that’s a good thing because last year we didn’t have a lot of bench strength, but this year we do. Also I want to talk about Asif Ali. He has been a match-winner for us at No. 6. I don’t think we have another match-winner like that in our team.
10.15pm Here’s Babar Azam: “The way we started, it was really good. We were going as per plan, but after one wicket, we lost a few back-to-back. That broke down the momentum a little. We tried to regain that momentum, but it was too late. We never got a partnership. I think it was a 180-200 kind of a wicket, but we didn’t play well enough. Yes, the way we are starting off well, we are not being able to finish as strong. So I feel we need to look at that. Sometimes when you lose back-to-back wickets, it brings pressure and I always look to take it deep and play as long as I can. The way I started today, I couldn’t finish off. Might have been a different scenario if I had a batter with me at the end. The bowling today was not upto the mark. The fielding as well, maybe if we had taken our chances in the powerplay, things would have been different.”
Rahmanullah Gurbaz: “It was amazing how we came back. He [Hasan Ali] got us back into the game and that gave us the momentum. I am really excited to be back here. I don’t think if the total is big or small, I just play my natural game and that is what the coaches also want from me. The wicket was not easy, the spinners were getting the ball to grip and the slower balls from the pacers were gripping too but I tried to be positive.”
10.10pm If Peshawar Zalmi’s powerplay performance was something to admire, Islamabad United made sure they grabbed all the eyeballs as they raced to 80-1 in the first six. Their target of 157 was not too much to start off with and United pretty much had the match in the bag since then. Gurbaz was the star, with a dashing half-century. Rassie van der Dussen and Asif Ali also played good knocks.
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Both teams, despite their contrasting starts to the season, enter this game on the back of victories. The Kings defeated the Lahore Qalandars in their most recent encounter, whereas the Sultans got the better of Islamabad United. The similarities do not end there either.
On paper, the Sultans have a powerful batting unit and that has come to the fore more often than not this season. The Kings, despite Babar Azam departing for newer pastures, have also given a good account of themselves and would take heart from the batting display they produced against the Qalandars, scoring 185 against a strong bowling attack.
What has probably differentiated both teams is the way they have played the crucial moments. The Sultans have come out on top when push has come to shove, while the Kings have not really been able seize them as they would have liked, explaining why they have won just a solitary game so far. That, though, could change today and what better occasion to do it than against the table-toppers and early pace-setters.
Right. That is a wrap from us for tonight. Hope you enjoyed our coverage as much as we enjoyed bringing it to you. Do join us tomorrow as Islamabad United take on Peshawar Zalmi. Until next time, this is me (Shashwat) signing off on behalf of Thilak and everyone else at ESPNcricinfo! Goodbye, goodnight and take care!
Mohammad Rizwan, the Multan Sultans captain, is also the Player of the Match: (On the Multan leg) The crowd supported us very much and showed a lot of love. Hopefully we will get as much support in all the other cities as well. I did not play well early on. The ball was coming onto the bat. Shan was playing well so I took my time. Shoaib bhai and Imran bhai were bowling brilliantly in the middle overs. I want to give credit to our bowlers. At the half-way stage, we thought we were 10-15 runs short. The way Abbas bowled the last over, the way Ihsanullah has been bowling this tournament, the way Ilyas bowled – they should be given credit. Cricket presents a new challenge every day and we hope that we can continue this momentum moving forward.
Imad Wasim, Karachi Kings captain: We had it in the bag. We could not finish it off. It is unfortunate but we lacked game awareness in the end. I think the intent was really nice. In the middle overs, we slowed it down. In T20 cricket, we have to finish games. We have not been able to do that (this season). We have to sit and talk. If we lose one more, we might be out of the competition. It is just a matter of clicking and believing in ourselves.
Andy Flower: It is our last game in Multan this year and this was a great way to finish it. It was a brilliant atmosphere and brilliant for our young Pakistani bowlers to finish off the game like that. Rizwan was making a lot of decisions out there. It was a tough game to captain. Vince played outstandingly. We did really well to win it after Vince’s onslaught.
10pm Well, it will take some time for me to get over that game. It ebbed, flowed, twisted, turned and ultimately, the swung the Sultans’ way. Abbas, tasked with bowling the final over, held his nerve just when it mattered. Cutting and Imad, after getting the Kings so close, would be ruing how they let this game slip.
All that aside, this was a perfect advertisement for the PSL. The game had so many thrilling performances – right from Rizwan scoring a hundred to Vince producing a sensational knock. Ihsanullah breathed fire throughout his spell, with Khushdil’s spell of 1-25 also playing a major role in the Sultans’ victory. Don’t forget how tidily Malik bowled either, and how both teams kept fighting until the very end. Slightly unfortunate result for the Kings, considering how close they came but you have to admire how the Sultans kept believing a pulled that victory out of the bag.
The Sultans began exceptionally, racking up 50 runs in the powerplay, with Masood setting the early pace. Once he departed, though, there was a bit of a lull as Malik and Tahir tightened the screws. As the innings progressed, Rizwan accelerated and picked up the pace alongside Rossouw. Rizwan’s first fifty came off 42 balls, whereas his last 60 runs came off just 22 balls. The Sultans also ended up scoring 74 in the last five overs and that has powered them to 196, which looks like a massive total at the half-way stage.
The Kings, on the other hand, only have themselves to blame. Their plans left a lot to be desired, with their execution not being much better. But the biggest disappointment would be the way they fielded and let the Sultans off the hook. They now have a mountain to climb, and while this remains a good batting track, you feel they will have their work cut out. Do join us in a bit for the run-chase!
Shan Masood: It was a bit of a relief. I was the only batter who was not scoring. It was important to take that pressure off Rizwan. Feels good to contribute to this score. We talk a lot and that was what I kept telling him that I could take on the bowlers. He is a special player and he is one of the best batters in the world at the moment. It is a nice batting wicket but with a little more variation than the game against Zalmi. It has been a little easier bowling spin and taking pace off on a length.
Jassia Zafar : “Is the momentum shifting towards KK? Although, there’s still a lot of firepower yet to come for MS. I feel that KK have kept them quiet for 5 overs now. Can they finish well? Just a IU’fan waiting for our match ” — The Kings have not let the Sultans get away. But as you said, there is plenty of firepower left in the shed
Josh Perry: “That wicket with a combined age of 85! My back hurt just watching that” — Two special cricketers doing what they have done throughout their careers – contribute to their team’s cause!
Afeef: “Many people say that Islamabad have the best batting line-up but I believe Multan Sultans have the best batting line-up this season, especially with everyone in form.”
The Sultans are in a commanding position at the half-way mark, and look set for a massive total. Rizwan might need to start attacking a little more, though, and help them maximize the vast batting resources at their disposal. The Kings need wickets, and they need them pretty quickly
ShahSafeer: “True cricket fans can’t deny the fact how impressive Rizwan’s transformation and consistency have been for nearly three years now. I remember how T20 teams had never wanted to pick him as he couldn’t hit sixes at the moment. But he’s been bossing it since 2020 and I hope he will continue to shine more to help his teams MS and PCT to win more games in coming years!”
mad brings himself back into the attack. Can he break this game open?
An excellent powerplay for the Sultans as they added 50 runs. They have all 10 wickets in the shed too and if the Kings are not careful, they could be staring at a very huge total
Umar to bowl the final over of the powerplay
Samama: “Even Though I’m An LQ Fan Yet Watching This Game Closely. Such Is The Intensity Of This PSL.” — This season promises to be as keenly contested as any in recent memory, and it has lived up to the hype so far.
Zeenia: “Watching from KSA (4 pm here) really looking forward to see Kings winning tonight just for some more entertainment in this PSL…” — If the Kings win tonight, they will go up to second and will then be just two points behind the Sultans
The players are making their way out to the middle. Masood and Rizwan to open the batting for the Sultans. Imad Wasim with the new ball for the visitors. Here we go!
Sagheer Ahmad: “On job here in Saudi Arabia and thanks to cricinfo for ball by balls updates and interesting stats.” — Glad to bring coverage of this PSL game to you, and hope you can stay updated because this promises to be a cracker.
Malik: “Is Amir Injured?” — Looks like he has been ruled out of today’s game because of a groin niggle.
Karachi Kings XI: Matthew Wade (wk), James Vince, Haider Ali, Shoaib Malik, Irfan Khan, Imad Wasim (c), Ben Cutting, Aamer Yamin, Mohammad Umar, Imran Tahir, Akif Javed
Multan Sultans XI: Shan Masood, Mohammad Rizwan (c & wk), Rilee Rossouw, David Miller, Kieron Pollard, Khushdil Shah, Carlos Brathwaite, Usama Mir, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Illyas, Ihsanullah
Toss update: Karachi Kings have won the toss and will bowl first. The Sultans are unchanged; one change for the Kings – Mohammad Amir has been replaced by Mohammad Umar.
Right. That will be that from us for tonight. We hope you enjoyed our coverage as much as we enjoyed bringing it to you. Until next time, this is me (Shashwat) signing off on behalf of M Venkat Raghav and everyone else at ESPNcricinfo! Goodbye, goodnight and take care!
Shaheen Shah Afridi is the Player of the Match and also the winning captain: (On the batters scoring runs) The idea was to score 170-180 runs. The way Fakhar and Tahir started, we thought we could get to a bigger score. Tahir was using the pace well and was batting brilliantly against world-class bowlers. Hope was superb too and he is leaving tomorrow, and our best wishes are with him. I have 7-8 bowlers and that makes my job easier. I hope that even I have as much pace as Haris does (smiles). (On his first spell) I always strive to give my team an early breakthrough. It was swinging so I thought of bowling a little fuller.
Sarfaraz Ahmed, Quetta Gladiators captain: We conceded a few more runs than what we wanted. We did not start well in our batting powerplay either. The wicket played better today and the batters were able to play their strokes. Roy is a top player and whenever he plays more balls, he can score. The player that we were depending on (Hasaranga) did not get an NOC and that puts a lot of pressure on the team. We will talk to the boys and hopefully we can come back in the games ahead.
David Wiese: It is a team that has backed me from the start. As long as they keep having me here, I will keep coming back. With the short side, anything with pace on was an easy shot. The wicket got a bit slower towards the end. We let ourselves down against Karachi and we wanted to make it right. Sometimes it is good to have a wake-up call at the start of the tournament. For a batting side to get skittled out and score nearly 200 today was a phenomenal effort.
10:38pm Well, that was a game that the Gladiators might want to forget in a hurry. The toss was perhaps the only thing that went their way, and once they inserted the Qalandars into bat, it looked like one-way traffic. During their batting innings, there was a brief period when Roy was firing on all cylinders and it felt like he would take the game away. Rashid, though, had other ideas. The rest of the batters just could not get going and by the time the game entered its final stretch, the result seemed a foregone conclusion.
The Gladiators, having lost three out of four, have lots to ponder. They still seem unsure of their batting order, and seem too dependent on Hasnain and Naseem to provide penetration with the ball. The Qalandars, on the other hand, have an excellent bowling unit glittered with match-winners. Shaheen, in particular, was breathing fire tonight and set up the game with a stunning new-ball spell, which, of course, included a wicket in the first over. The Qalandars’ batters also did the job today and as long as they keep putting runs on the board, you feel they will always be in the game.
Ahsan: “Twice in this innings now, people have said something and it happened. Someone asked for Shaheen wicket in the 1st over and Bangalzai got out the very next delivery. Moiz talked about Roy struggling against LQ and in the very next over Roy bludgeoned one of the premiere T20 bowlers around!!! ” — What’s next on the list tonight then?
Moiz: “That’s how time changes. This is same Roy who smash Lahore bowlers in all directions last year and hit century and now he is struggling big time.” — He has to face Haris Rauf now
Ali: “How come lahore qalandar took 3 reviews? Am i missing something ” — The second review returned as Umpire’s Call, meaning that they did not lose that review.
8:54pm Right. We are back, and we have a surprise first up. Bangalzai will open the batting alongside Guptill. Shaheen with the new ball (that is not much of a surprise). Let’s go!
David: “Gladiators’ bowling is carbon copy of Qalandars’. Two Pakistani seamers, afghani leg spinner, one bowling all rounder who can hit big as well.” — In terms of the composition, yes. But in terms of pedigree, the Qalandars’ bowling attack is perhaps better than that of the Gladiators.
Shahrukh: “Lahore Qalandars middle-order are quite defensive in terms of T20. Shai Hope, Kamran Ghulam, Hussain Talat, Sikandar Raza – all 4 required bit time to settle on the crease which could result potential runs lost.” — To be fair to Hope, he has raced out of the traps tonight.
Adil: “I don’t really agree. To me this Lahore side has a balanced order, with experienced batters for every phase of the game. Even without Harry Brook they are in for a deep run I reckon”
An excellent powerplay for the Qalandars, even if they lost both of their openers. They have a solid foundation to work with now, and would be hoping to capitalize on these middle overs. The ball has come onto the bat nicely so far, meaning a score around 180 (at the very least) could be what they are targeting
Odean Smith to try his luck now, and he will bowl from around the wicket
Raymond Spanish: “Gladiator’s experiment to open the bowling with the professor didn’t pay off today but nevertheless, I like the thinking behind it. Someone needs to support their two frontline quicks, particularly when one/both of them are having an off day. “
Tauseef: “Harry Brook missing whole edition because of national duties, Kusal Mendis couldn’t get NOC from SL board. I think this batting lineup isn’t good enough to defend the title. You cant expect from your bowling unit to win you matches every time.” — They have gotten off to a good start today, though
The players are making their way out to the middle. Fakhar to open the batting for the Qalandars alongside Tahir Baig. Hafeez with the new ball for the Gladiators. Here we go!
Tanveer : “Lahore’s batting is point of concern for me” — Well, they have a chance to set this game up tonight.
Saqiv: “Shaheen, Naseem, Rauf, Rashid, Hasnain. Some quality bowling on display today. Finger licking good, this! “
Lahore Qalandars XI: Fakhar Zaman, Tahir Baig, Shai Hope (wk), Kamran Ghulam, Hussain Talat, Sikandar Raza, David Wiese, Rashid Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi (c), Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan
Quetta Gladiators XI: Jason Roy, Martin Guptill, Sarfaraz Ahmed (c & wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Iftikhar Ahmed, Odean Smith, Abdul Bangalzai, Mohammad Hafeez, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Qais Ahmad
Toss update: The Quetta Gladiators have won the toss and have opted to bowl first.
The toss is not very far away now. The Gladiators have batted first in all of their games so far, winning only once. The Qalandars’ only victory, meanwhile, came when they batted first in the opening fixture of this season’s PSL – against the Multan Sultans.
This, by the way, is how the points table looks like at the moment. It is also worth noting that the Gladiators and the Qalandars have the two worst NRRs in the tournament, as things stand – something they would hope to rectify starting tonight.
6pm Hello and welcome to ESPNcricinfo’s live coverage of this PSL clash between the Lahore Qalandars and the Quetta Gladiators. I am Shashwat Kumar and I will be your eyes and ears for everything that happens tonight.
Both of these teams come into this game on the back of defeats. While the Gladiators were defeated by Peshawar Zalmi in their most recent encounter, the Qalandars lost to Karachi Kings a couple of days ago in a thoroughly one-sided contest. These two teams also find themselves placed fifth and sixth in the points table currently, meaning that this could be a massive four-pointer, despite this encounter arriving very early into the competition.
Plenty of star names on both sides, although you could argue that they have not yet fired in unison to play to their true potential. That, though, could change tonight and both the Gladiators and the Qalandars would hope that it sets them up for a good season.