KARACHI: Former champion and three-time runner-up Peshawar Zalmi will take on former champions Quetta Gladiators in their first match of the HBL PSL-7 at the National Stadium here on Friday (Today).
The match starts at 7 pm.
Peshawar Zalmi will miss their captain Wahab Riaz who is in isolation after returning a Covid positive test. Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik will captain 2017 edition champion Zalmi in Friday's showpiece.
Both the sides have proved to be tough rivals in the history of PSL so far. In all, the two organizations have faced each other 17 times and among them Zalmi has a slight advantage as they have won nine matches while Quetta Gladiators have emerged victorious in eight matches.
Four matches have been played between the two teams at the National Stadium here and both the teams have won two each.
Zalmi, apart from Wahab Riaz's shock, will also miss Kamran Akmal and pacer Arshad Iqbal, who are in quarantine after testing Covid positive a few days back.
The last two seasons were dominated by Zalmi as they won all four matches each in a season. Quetta played below their strength in the last two seasons. However, this time around Quetta are looking more balanced and their fast bowling in particular could destabilize Zalmi's fine batting line-up.
During a press conference the other day, his bowling was highly rated by Quetta Gladiators captain Sarfaraz Ahmed. They have paceman Mohammad Hasnain, who recently made a stellar debut in the BBL, stunned the batsmen with his unusual pace.
Naseem Shah, who showed tremendous might in CPL, will prove fatal for the opposition as well. Apart from this, he also has the experience of left-arm spinners Mohammad Nawaz and Iftikhar Ahmed apart from Sohail Tanvir.
The 20-year-old English batsmen Will Smed, Dan Lawrence, Ben Duckett and Australian all-rounder James Faulkner will add batting variety to the Gladiators, who also have Ahsan Ali, Iftikhar, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Umar Akmal.
He said, 'This time I have more confidence in my bowling and I am sure that our bowling order will do well. Boys have experience. Hasnain has also become experienced and has returned from the Big Bash after a stellar performance there. Naseem Shah has bowled brilliantly in the CPL and has the experience of Sohail Tanvir and James Faulkner.