Peshawar Zalmi preview: PSL8 underdogs

They will start their campaign against Karachi Kings

Hamza Khan

11 Feb, 2023

Sports

It is very hard to rule Peshawar Zalmi out from the title race in any Pakistan Super League (PSL) season, but things might change this time around.

Under the new leadership of Babar Azam, who was a bit shaky in the recent series, Peshawar Zalmi will be starting off their campaign against Karachi Kings.

On paper, Kings are one of the best sides in the competition, as they pack a powerful batting lineup with the experience of Shoaib Malik, the former Zalmi star, and seriously good pace attack.

Taking them on in the opening fixture at the National Bank Cricket Arena ¬– Kings’ home ground – will be one of Zalmi’s biggest challenge.

As far as Zalmi’s are concerned, they are not very far behind in the ratings as far as their squad is concerned. They have currently the best all-format batter in the shape of Babar Azam, their pace attack is led by Wahab Riaz, the leading wicket-taker in the tournament and they also have a superstar like Mujeeb-ur-Rehman.

Let’s take a look at their squad:

Peshawar Zalmi Squad:

Babar Azam (c), Sherfane Rutherford, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Haris, Aamir Jamal, Salman Irshad, Tom-Kohler Cadmore, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Rovman Powell, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Danish Aziz, Arshad Iqbal, Saim Ayub, Usman Qadir, Suifyan Muqeem, Haseeb Ullah, Jimmy Neesham, Khurram Shahzad, Haris Sohail, Richard Gleeson (partial replacement for Rovman Powell), Peter Hatzoglou (partial replacement for Mujeeb ur Rahman).

Strengths:

The 2017 champions pack a couple of exciting talent in their ranks, like Haseebullah Khan and Saim Ayub, and to top thinks off they also have super stars like, Babar Azam, Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Mujeeb ur Rehman.

By the looks of their squad, Zalmi packs a serous punch when it comes to batting. We surely don’t need to discuss how good Babar Azam is, but what we are going to discuss is having experience batters like Haris Sohail and exciting Mohammad Haris in the lineup.

Mohammad Haris’ presence at the top would help Zalmi to off to a flyer, and it will also allow Babar Azam to anchor the innings without concerning the strike-rate.

Experienced Haris Sohail will give perfect balance in the middle-order whereas, young Saim Ayub or Haseebullah Khan can be a handy option for Zalmi at one down position.

They also have a decent firepower in shape of their foreign players – Tom-Kohler Cadmore, Sherfane Rutherford, and Rovman Powell.

All eyes will be on Mujeeb-ur-Rehman, who will be the key for Zalmi.

Weaknesses:

As strong as their batting is, their bowling lacks the same level of excitement.

For starters, former captain Wahab Riaz is their only experience pacer in the line-up. Salman Irshad and Arshad Iqbal, are good, but if we compare with the other franchises, on paper they are not as threatening as others are.

For backup, they have Aamer Jamal and Jimmy Neesham in their squad.

Moreover, Afghanistan’s Mujeeb ur Rehman won’t be joining the team before February 19. This means, they will be heavily relying on Usman Qadir.

The question is, do they have enough juice in there bowling to bowl a side out or defend a low total?

We all have to wait till February 14 to find out.

Conclusion:

Peshawar Zalmi always have an exciting side, and they manage to find their way in the knockouts in every PSL edition. This time, they would be looking nothing short of it.

However, the way cricket is progressing, it would be very hard to survive in the competition like the PSL, with this bowling attack. Though they are good, but as compared to others it would be tough task.

Probable lineup:

Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Haris, Tom-Kohler Cadmore, Haseebullah Khan/ Saim Ayube, Haris Sohail, Sherfane Rutherford, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Aamer Jamal, Wahab Riaz, Usman Qadir and Salman Irshad.