Will Multan Sultans use early qualification as an opportunity to rotate?

Rohail Nazir, Usman Qadir and Ali Shafiq are yet to appear during the first seven matches and are waiting in the wings during the final week of the group stage

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T20 cricket has never been much of a squad game. Look back at any of the great sides down the format's 17-year history and some were uneven jigsaws. Not all the pieces always fit perfectly but the end result was generally effective.

Multan Sultans have followed that trend with their selection in the Pakistan Super League. They have only used 14 players, eight of which have appeared in all of their seven group games. Such was their commitment to that core, Wayne Madsen arrived and left without a single outing. Thanks for coming.

As a consequence, we enter the final week of the group stage with four players awaiting an appearance. Rohail Nazir, Usman Qadir and Ali Shafiq have had a watching brief throughout, while Fabian Allen is available after concluding his West Indies duties.

Shan Masood's side are into unchartered territory in the PSL. Victory over Islamabad United secured them a playoff spot for the first time in their three competition appearances. A win in any of their final three games would virtually secure them a berth in the Qualifier, which provides direct access to the final in Lahore. It would require a bizarre turnaround in net run-rate to deny them.

Therefore, perhaps it would be prudent to give their squad players a run in the side. It would allow them to feel part of the success, improving morale - though this is not about sentimentality - and offer a rest to the star players who have been unchanged through the competition, keeping them fresh for the sharp end. 

Eighteen-year-old Nazir has only played 18 domestic T20s but was part of the Northern Areas side which won the National T20 Cup last October, beating Baluchistan in the final. He averaged 22.75 in the competition, with a top score of 56 not out. As a wicket-keeper, he would likely be replacing Zeesham Ashraf.

Usman got exposure to Australian conditions in 2018-19 having been signed up by Perth Scorchers for the Big Bash, with his leg-spin delivering six wickets at 33.83. His return improved during the T20 Cup but he faces having to displace Imran Tahir in the side, which is largely unforeseeable.

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Shafiq is back at Sultans after impressing in his brief outings during last season's campaign in the United Arab Emirates. He made two appearances in the 2019 edition, finishing with four wickets at 16.50 though it was another typically dismal season.

The trio all featured in the warm-up games against MCC but are still waiting in the wings. And then there is Allen, who missed the first half of the competition after playing for West Indies in Sri Lanka. His outings in the ODI and T20 matches were rather inconsequential, but he did sign off with 2-24 in the seven-wicket win in the final 20-over clash in Pallekele.

On paper, the 24-year-old looks like one of the shrewdest overseas signings of the competition particularly given his performances in the Caribbean Premier League but he arrives knowing a place in the first XI is no given.

While Sultans will be conscious that rotating could allow their star turns some breathing space, it could easily go the other way. Losing momentum could be vital with the knock-out stage to come, where they might be required to play twice before the final. In the BBL, Melbourne Stars suffered from a loss of form at the wrong time and while they did reach the final, they were cooked once they took on Sydney Sixers.

Andy Flower will be well aware of the benefits and risks involved with tinkering with a successful formula, particularly in a snappy tournament when winning and losing can become a habit. What analyst Nathan Leamon would make of a bout of rotation would be interesting too.

Quetta Gladiators are clinging on to hopes of a top-four finish by their fingernails and defeat would be a seismic blow to those ambitions. Sultans can pull the trigger if they wish, but how they do it could have a knock-on effect for the rest of the campaign.