Karachi Kings (KK) became the latest victim of the Islamabad United (IU) juggernaut last night, which was their second defeat of the season. Now, as they gear up to meet Peshawar Zalmi, their defeats and wins stand at par with one another. They wouldn’t want it to get worse from where they are right now, especially when they have to face the mercurial duo of Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators (QG) in their next two fixtures.
Peshawar Zalmi (PZ) seemed to have set themselves up for another defeat when their top two departed without adding much to the scoreboard. But in a wild turn of events, their middle order took it on itself to steer the side to not just any victory, but the greatest by margin in the history of the PSL. The win has definitely given them the impetus that had fizzled out on the back of their two back-to-back defeats, but they will need to chip away with a win in this game as well to avoid stifling their chances of going ahead in the tournament.
Team Overview:
Babar Azam has scored the most runs in the history of PSL, but three games into this season, and he looks extremely timid. His scores in three games so far form an interesting, albeit unfortunate, pattern: 0, 1, and 2. And while statisticians might love the symmetry, Babar won’t. Nor will his team. Especially, with Saim Ayub, who has directly landed in the PSL after his injury hiatus, not yet firing as he did last year, the onus on Babar increases multifold. Karachi has been Babar’s favourite venue across formats, regardless of the stage and team he is facing. And what better place would it be for Babar to bounce back than a ground where fans would wait with bated breath for his return to form?
Zalmi has a habit of producing or nurturing young talent each season. It was Saim Ayub last year. This year, Ali Raza might be their newest apprentice. His performance in the last game, when he ripped through Multan’s line-up, was central to their historic win. But between the poles of Babar and Saim’s form struggles on one end, and Ali Raza’s brilliance on the other, lies Zalmi’s sturdy middle-order.
Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Mohammad Haris, Hussain Talat, Mitchell Owen, and Abdul Samad went bang bang against Multan bowlers in the last game. Haris’s resistance against Islamabad gave Zalmi an outside chance, too, though without any help from outside, his contributions ended in vain as well.
Like Babar, Karachi’s captain David Warner hasn’t used his bat to do much for his team so far. He did give Karachi some momentum with his quick starts, but has yet to stay long enough for a meaningful knock. With James Vince and Tim Seifert in the squad, he will get enough cushion to work through his problems. Barring Khushdil Shah, Karachi’s middle order has offered little to no resistance, which has often harmed them in the end. It’s one thing to have an out-of-form middle order, and it’s entirely another to not even have a fixed one. Karachi have brought in and sent out a handful of players, which makes it seem like they haven’t settled on a middle order yet.
Head-to-Head Matches:
Karachi has only won six times against Zalmi. The remaining 15 out of their 21 face-offs were won by PZ.
Weather and Pitch Report:
Karachi is generally a batting-friendly surface, but in this PSL season, the track has given bowlers plenty to work with. Early movement with the new ball will give pacers the ruthlessness they need. Spinners will be handy in the middle overs. For batters to survice on this trickey surface, they will need to be extra vigilant, especially when thinking of going aerial.
Prediction:
If Karachi’s batting lineup gets going, there won’t be any stopping them.
Where to Watch:
Pakistan: A Sports, PTV Sports, Tapmad, Tamasha, Walee Technologies, Myco App, Begin
India: FanCode App, Sony Sports Network
Africa: Super Sports
Sri Lanka and Afghanistan: Sony Sports Network
North America: Willow TV
MENA: MYCO
Rest of the World: Sports Central
