Key match-ups, squad lists, head-to-head record, weather forecast, prediction, odds, form guide and more ahead of the next game of the 2022 Pakistan Super League season
Peshawar Zalmi take on Islamabad United in Eliminator 1 of the Pakistan Super League.
The game is set for Thursday, February 24. The first ball will be bowled at 7.30pm local time (2.30pm GMT).
The game will be held at the Gaddafi Stadium in Karachi.
Both these sides embark on what is the scenic route to the final, in the first of two knock-out matches in the playoffs.
Peshawar Zalmi finished higher in the regular season, bettering Islamabad United by four points, to finish third.
Zalmi’s six wins were equal to second-placed Lahore Qalandars, though their net run rate was slightly worse.
Zalmi prevailed both times against both Quetta Gladiators and Karachi Kings and won their end of season clash against Qalandars via a super over. Haider Ali (25 from 22) and Shoaib Malik (32 from 28) were the main contributors in the 20 overs. Wahab Riaz kept the super over tight, conceding just five runs, which Malik knocked off in two balls.
The two group clashes between Zalmi and Islamabad were split; the first tie won convincingly by Islamabad, as they chased down Zalmi’s 168 inside 16 overs, for the loss of just one wicket. Paul Stirling (57 from 25) and Alex Hales (82 from 54) dealt the majority of the damage.
Islamabad’s tournament has been up and down, having never won consecutive games and claiming just four victories in all.
They have occasionally shown attacking prowess, especially against Quetta, when they hit 229 for 4 - Colin Munro’s 72 from just 39 balls the headline.
But injuries and selection issues, though, have hindered Islamabad of late; they lost each of their last three games, with a host of key players missing for each.
Alex Hales returns for Islamabad United (Arif Ali/AFP via Getty Images)
Peshawar are in possession of one of the most in-form batters in the competition in Shoaib Malik, who has made 346 runs across the tournament so far, with two half-centuries to his name.
He has been supported by the likes of Sherfane Rutherford and Mohammad Haris, who have hit 160 and 154 runs, respectively. Their contributions will be all the more important given Ben Cutting’s unavailability due to Covid.
Top-order batting was the main feature of Islamabad’s season in the opening stages, and the loss of Paul Stirling and Alex Hales, especially, have been a massive blow.
But Hales has returned for the playoffs after a short break to give the United top-order some much-needed impetus.
English batter Will Jacks has joined up following his incredible season in the Bangladesh Premier League, in which he topped the run-scoring charts with 414 - including four half-centuries, but it remains to be seen if he is given an opportunity.
Shadab Khan’s return to the side will also be a massive boost to the batting ranks; the captain has hit 232 runs to this point, with a top score of 91.
Matches played: 17
Islamabad United wins: 9
Peshawar Zalmi wins: 8
There is a slight chance of rain, with temperatures at around 19 degrees Celsius at the start of play.
Peshawar Zalmi: Wahab Riaz, Liam Livingstone, Shoaib Malik, Sherfane Rutherford, Haider Ali, Saqib Mahmood, Hussain Talat, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Hazratullah Zazai, Usman Qadir, Salman Irshad, Arshad Iqbal (Covid replacement: Ammad Butt), Sameen Gul, Kamran Akmal (Covid replacement: Imam-ul-Haq), Sirajuddin, Mohammad Amir Khan, Ben Cutting, Mohammad Haris
Supplementary round: Mohammad Umer, Sohail Khan
Partial replacements: Matt Parkinson, Pat Brown
Islamabad United: Asif Ali, Hasan Ali, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Alex Hales (temporarily replaced by Nasir Nawaz), Mohammad Wasim Jr, Azam Khan, Paul Stirling, Colin Munro, Marchant de Lange, Muhammad Akhlaq, Reece Topley, Danish Aziz, Zafar Gohar, Mubasir Khan, M. Zeeshan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (joined up with Afghanistan, replaced by Will Jacks), Ather Mehmood, Zahid Mehmood
Supplementary draft: Musa Khan, Zahir Khan
Partial replacement: Mohammad Huraira, Liam Dawson
Sherfane Rutherford (Arif Ali/AFP via Getty Images)
Peshawar Zalmi: Mohammad Haris, Kamran Akmal, Liam Livingstone, Haider Ali, Shoaib Malik, Hussain Talat, Amad Butt, Wahab Riaz, Khalid Usman, Mohammad Umar, Arshad Iqbal
Islamabad United: Alex Hales, Mubasir Khan, Shadab Khan, Azam Khan, Danish Aziz, Asif Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Liam Dawson, Mohammad Wasim, Marchant de Lange, Waqas Mahmood
Peshawar Zalmi are favourites at 8/13, whereas odds for Islamabad United are 5/4.
This should be a tight game, and selection issues could hinder both sides. However, the power of Islamabad might be enough to see them advance and take one step closer to the final.
In Pakistan, games will be on A Sports and Ten Sports.
In the UK games will be shown on Sky Sports Cricket (Sky 404, Virgin 504).
In Australia, the games will be shown on Foxtel, Fox Sports and Kayo.
In India, Sony Sports Network carries the broadcast rights.
In the Caribbean, Flow Sports hold the broadcast rights, with Willow TV showing the tournament in North America.
SuperSport will provide coverage in South Africa, while Sky Sport will show the matches in New Zealand.
The PCB has partnered with ICC TV and tapmad TV to broadcast PSL7 in: Andorra, Antarctica, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bouvet Island, Bouvet Island, Brazil, British Indian Ocean Territory, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Chile, China, Christmas Island, Cocos Island, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, East Timor, Ecuador, Estonia, Falkland Islands, Faroe islands, Finland, France, French Guiana, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guyana, Heard Island, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgystan, Laos, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Macedonia, Malaysia, Malta, Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Myanmar, Netherlands, New Caledonia, North Korea, Norway, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vatican City, Vietnam and Venezuela.
The commentary line-up includes Nick Knight, David Gower, Mike Haysman, Pommie Mbangwa, Danny Morrison, Bazid Khan, Waqar Younis, Urooj Mumtaz, Sana Mir, Marina Iqbal and Tariq Saeed. Erin Holland, Zainab Abbas and Sikandar Bakht will present the live coverage.
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