Omaid Asif and Haider Ali has been banned for the rest of the PSL that is the final on breaching the bio-secure protocols strictly prescribed by the PCB. They might also face restrictions for coming tours of West Indies and UK. However, remaining players are preparing for the final.
Multan Sultans’ skipper Mohammad Rizwan will try his utmost to vanquish the experienced Peshawar Zalmi tonight (Thursday) as the two teams lock horns for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2021 trophy.
The showdown is slated to begin at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Thursday (today) at 9pm.
Multan defeated Islamabad United in the Qualifier by 31 runs to reach their first PSL final. Zalmi, the 2017 winners, defeated Karachi Kings by five wickets and overwhelmed two-time champions Islamabad United by eight wickets in the eliminators to set the final date with Sultans.
Multan’s success story reflects their strong resolve and the commitment with which they played in the Abu Dhabi leg after having won just one game from five outings in the Karachi leg.
Multan, coached by former Zimbabwe skipper Andy Flower, registered four successive wins in Abu Dhabi before losing the final league game against United. But it did not affect their position as they finished second due to better net run-rate despite having finished with ten points along with Zalmi and Kings.
The Sultans have played with specialist batsmen and bowlers. The technique has come a long way in ensuring the side’s success.
Shan Masood, Sohaib Maqsood, Mohammad Rizwan, Khushdil Shah and Johnson Charles are in dangerous form and when they click, can tick the scoreboard like anything.
Shahnawaz Dhani, Imran Khan Senior, Sohail Tanvir, Blessing Muzarabani and leggie Imran Tahir make a very lethal bowling combination that can put even the best PSL batting side in trouble on any day, at any given pitch.
Rizwan has said the Sultans will go all out for the trophy.
“We are fully prepared. We will put in our best effort and will pray to God Almighty for the desired result,” Rizwan told a news conference on Wednesday.
The skipper said his team had prepared plans for the opposition, adding that getting Zazai in the early overs will be the key to an easy victory.
“We will go with a different plan against every player. If we get an early wicket of Zazai, Zalmi has Shoaib Malik and they have depth in their batting. I cannot disclose the details but we have planned for the whole opposition,” Rizwan said.
