Quetta Gladiators will take on Peshawar Zalmi in the second match of the Pakistan Super League 2022 on Friday at National Stadium in Karachi. Sarfaraz Ahmed will continue to lead the Quetta Gladiators team.
Quetta Gladiators vs Peshawar Zalmi
Quetta Gladiators didn’t fare too well in the 2020 and 2021 editions of the tournament. Disappointing performances didn’t help their cause as they couldn’t make it to the playoffs in both seasons. The franchise would look to exhibit an improved performance this year.
The batting line-up of the Quetta Gladiators will have the likes of Ahmed, Umar Akmal, and Shimron Hetmyer. The bowling unit too consists of top talents such as Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah and veteran Sohail Tanvir.
Besides, Shahid Afridi will be playing for Quetta Gladiators this year. However, he has been tested positive for Covid-19 and thus will miss out on a few games.
Facing them Peshawar Zalmi, who finished at the fourth position at the end of the league last year. They reached the playoffs, however, were knocked out of the tournament after losing to Lahore Qalandars in the Eliminator 1 match. Wahab Riaz has been given the responsibility to lead the side. The batting unit consists of Hazratullah Zazai, Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Sherfane Rutherford among others.
Besides, the experience of Shoaib Malik and Kamran Akmal should keep the team in good stead. Overseas stars such as Liam Livingstone and Sherfane Rutherford will be the players to watch out for. Both have performed exceedingly well in the recent T20 tournaments. Their presence should give them the confidence to go far in the tournament.
Besides, notable departures from the previous edition are Mohammad Irfan, Umaid Asif, and Mohammad Imran. It will be interesting to see how both teams will fare in the first match of the tournament.