FANTASY
Follow UsNOTE: Stats updated until 19 February 2021
Match two in the sixth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) will see Lahore Qalandars and Peshawar Zalmi come up against each other. After failing to make it to the playoffs in the first four editions of the tournament, Lahore made it to the final in 2020. On the other hand, Peshawar have made it to the playoffs in every season so far and finished fourth last season.
Going by their respective performances in the PSL over the years, you wouldn’t be surprised that Zalmi have won the majority of matches between the two teams (eight out of 11). While Qalandars have won their last two games against Zalmi, they lost the seven before that.
PSL HEAD-TO-HEAD
Overall: Matches – 11 | Lahore Qalandars – 3 Wins | Peshawar Zalmi – 8 Wins
Last 5 Matches: Lahore Qalandars – 2 Wins | Peshawar Zalmi – 3 Wins
SUGGESTED TEAMS
While you could go for the above team, you also have the option of choosing your own team from Cricket.com’s Fantasy Research Centre. Based on algorithms we come up with six different teams that could fetch crucial points.
GROUND DETAILS & TEAM COMBINATION
The first 20 matches in PSL 2021 will be held at the National Stadium in Karachi. Since the start of 2020, there have been 12 T20 matches at this venue, with batsmen scoring at an average run-rate of 8.1. While the bowling strike rate during that period has been 22.5, pacers have performed much better than spinners.
According to data available, since 2020 at the National Stadium in Karachi, pacers have bowled 71.8% of the overs and taken 84.1% of the wickets in T20 cricket. While the fast bowlers have a bowling strike rate of 19.2 during the period, the corresponding number for the spinners is 40.2. Hence, we have gone with more pace in our bowling line-up, with Rashid Khan being the sole frontline spinner.
We didn’t have enough budget to select Fakhar Zaman or Shoaik Malik, but they are players you should consider. We have selected Tom Kohler-Cadmore, but we’re not 100% sure if he’ll play, so keep an eye out on that.
CAPTAIN SUGGESTION
Mohammad Hafeez was the third-highest run-scorer in the PSL last season and has been in brilliant form recently. Since the start of 2020, he has scored 1005 runs at an average of 47.9 and strike rate of 141.6 which are excellent numbers. Just a couple of months ago, he was very good in the T20Is against New Zealand as well, with an unbeaten 99 being the highlight of his series.
Our Criclytics player projector predicts Hafeez could score 11-28 runs and could take 0-1 wickets in this match.
X-FACTORS
Rashid Khan is available only for a short period for the Qalandars and they will be hopeful that he can make a huge impact in that time. While stats might not be great for spinners in Karachi recently, Rashid is one bowler who is not always reliant on tracks. Since the start of 2020, in T20 cricket, he has taken 64 wickets at a strike rate of 17.8 and has picked up at least one wicket in 41 out of 49 matches in that period.
Our Criclytics player projector predicts Rashid could take 1-2 wickets in this match.
At the age of 20, Haider Ali has already shown glimpses of his talent. In PSL 2020, he played 10 matches and scored 239 runs at an average of 26.6 and strike rate of 157.2 which are good numbers when you consider it was his debut season. Now, with international experience under his belt, we can perhaps expect him to better those numbers.
Our Criclytics player projector predicts Haider could score 13-36 runs in this match.
In the recently-held T10 league, Ravi Bopara was very impressive, scoring 165 runs in just seven innings. Considering the nature of that format, those were very good returns. His performances in PSL 2020 were underwhelming, but with the form that he is carrying into this tournament, he could turn out to be a good pick for your fantasy team.
Our Criclytics player projector predicts Bopara could score 9-26 runs in this match.
