BEN HART - Key match-ups, squad lists, head-to-head record, weather forecast, prediction, odds, form guide and more ahead of the next game of the 2022 Pakistan Super League season
Multan Sultans take on Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League.
The game will be played on Sunday, February 20. The first ball will be bowled at 7:30pm local time (2:30pm GMT).
The game will be held at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
The 2021 PSL Champions Multan Sultans look good for successive titles with eight wins from their nine league fixtures.
That record was more than enough to secure top spot, a position they wrapped up after a huge 117-run victory over Quetta Gladiators in their previous fixture.
Mohammad Rizwan (83 off 54) and Rilee Roussow (71 off 26) wreaked havoc on their way to 245 for 3.
The bowling unit then completed the rout inside 16 overs as Quetta were bowled out for 128 with the 10 wickets shared around five of the six bowlers used.
Rizwan and Shan Masood have made a formidable pair at the top of the order, both scoring in excess of 400 tournament runs at an average above 50.
Islamabad United have been inconsistent throughout the tournament, alternating between winning and losing for eight matches before suffering a 66-run thrashing against Lahore Qalandars on Saturday night.
They sit fourth in the table, two points clear of Quetta Gladiators, and their superior net run rate means even if the Gladiators beat Karachi Kings, they can lose against Multan Sultans and probably still hang on to a playoff spot.
Alex Hales was leading the way for Islamabad before leaving the tournament due to bubble fatigue. He may prove irreplaceable at the top of the order, with Mubasir Khan in his debut PSL season serving as Hales' replacement. The 19-year old made an indifferent start against Peshawar, adding 21 from 19 deliveries, and was dimissed for six against Lahore Qalandars.
The absence of captain Shadab Khan due to injury was keenly felt against Peshawar and Lahore and unfortunately for United, he will not play any part in their final group match. Should they qualify, he is expected to be fit for the playoffs.
Rilee Rossouw and Mohammad Rizwan [Arif Ali/AFP via Getty Images]
Multan Sultans’ dominance of the competition has been based on their opening partnership, and if Islamabad United are to have any chance at stopping them they must target Rizwan and Masood, who have nearly 900 runs between them.
But without the 17 wickets of their injured captain Shadab Khan, Islamabad United will hope Waqas Maqsood can step up to the plate in his absence. The Pakistan international already has 11 wickets for his side and will hope to add the vital scalps of his national team-mates.
If Khan’s injury was not enough, Islamabad United also lost their fruitful opening pair of Stirling and Hales, with Stirling leaving for international duty and Hales due to bubble fatigue. Islamabad now face the prospect of facing the tournament leaders, who have lost only once, without three of their best players.
Multan Sultans will hope that their top order can weather the efforts of a weakened Islamabad United attack, and if they manage to survive the powerplay unscathed, this seems a foregone conclusion for the leaders.
Matches played: 10
Islamabad United wins: 5
Multan Sultans wins: 5
It’s set to a clear evening in Lahore on Sunday, with temperatures hovering around a cool 18 degrees Celsius.
Multan Sultans: Mohammad Rizwan, Rilee Rossouw, Sohaib Maqsood, Imran Tahir, Shan Masood, Khushdil Shah, Shahnawaz Dhani, Tim David, Odean Smith, Rumman Raees, Asif Afridi, Anwar Ali, Rovman Powell, Imran Khan Sr., Abbas Afridi, Amir Azmat, Blessing Muzarabani, Ihsanullah
Supplementary round: David Willey, Rizwan Hussain
Partial replacements: Johnson Charles, Dominic Drakes
Islamabad United: Asif Ali, Hasan Ali, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Alex Hales (withdrew due to Covid fatigue), Mohammad Wasim Jr, Azam Khan, Paul Stirling, Colin Munro, Marchant de Lange, Muhammad Akhlaq, Reece Topley, Danish Aziz, Zafar Gohar, Mubasir Khan, M. Zeeshan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (joined up with Afghanistan, replaced by Will Jacks), Ather Mehmood, Zahid Mehmood
Supplementary draft: Musa Khan, Zahir Khan
Partial replacement: Mohammad Huraira, Liam Dawson
Shadab Khan will be absent for Islamabad United [Asif Hassan/AFP via Getty Images]
Multan Sultans: Shan Masood, Mohammad Rizwan, Rilee Rossouw, Khushdil Shah, Tim David, Aamer Azmat, Asif Afridi, Rumman Raees, Imran Tahir, Shahnawaz Dahani, David Willey
Islamabad United: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Mubasir Khan, Danish Aziz, Azam Khan, Liam Dawson, Asif Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Marchant de Lange, Musa Khan, Waqas Maqsood, Zahir Khan
Coming soon.
With eight wins from a possible nine, it's hard to see Multan not taking this one - even though they have nothing to play for.
In Pakistan, games will be on A Sports and Ten Sports.
In the UK games will be shown on Sky Sports Cricket (Sky 404, Virgin 504).
In Australia, the games will be shown on Foxtel, Fox Sports and Kayo.
In India, Sony Sports Network carries the broadcast rights.
In the Caribbean, Flow Sports hold the broadcast rights, with Willow TV showing the tournament in North America.
SuperSport will provide coverage in South Africa, while Sky Sport will show the matches in New Zealand.
The PCB has partnered with ICC TV and tapmad TV to broadcast PSL7 in: Andorra, Antarctica, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bouvet Island, Bouvet Island, Brazil, British Indian Ocean Territory, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Chile, China, Christmas Island, Cocos Island, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, East Timor, Ecuador, Estonia, Falkland Islands, Faroe islands, Finland, France, French Guiana, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guyana, Heard Island, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgystan, Laos, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Macedonia, Malaysia, Malta, Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Myanmar, Netherlands, New Caledonia, North Korea, Norway, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vatican City, Vietnam and Venezuela.
The commentary line-up includes Nick Knight, David Gower, Mike Haysman, Pommie Mbangwa, Danny Morrison, Bazid Khan, Waqar Younis, Urooj Mumtaz, Sana Mir, Marina Iqbal and Tariq Saeed. Erin Holland, Zainab Abbas and Sikandar Bakht will present the live coverage.
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