.
.
.
PSL final:
United bowl first in firecracker against Gladiators
Sarfraz Ahmed's Quetta Gladiators take on Misbah-ul-Haq's Islamabad United in what promises to be a cracking Pakistan Super League (PSL) finale at the Dubai cricket stadium on Tuesday.
According to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), since the PSL began on February 4, national television viewing figures have been higher than for the 2015 World Cup, with 55 per cent of the country's TV-watching public tuning into the tournament at peak times.
And tickets for the final have reportedly been sold out with some fans on Twitter claiming the 'black market was serving tickets for as high as Rs 700,000' each. The mad dash for tickets for the season-ending may come as surprise to many who witnessed empty stands at the beginning of the tournament but former cricketers have credited the exciting finishes in some of the matches as the major factor in pulling crowds.
And the final could follow the same script as well with the Gladiators and United going from strength to strength during the course of the tournament.
For the Gladiators, Ahmed Shehzad, Kevin Pietersen, Kumar Sangakkara and Mohammad Nawaz are once again expected to carry the team while United will be counting on the in-form Sharjeel Khan, Andre Russell and Mohammad Sami to provide the team with some magic.
Teams:
Islamabad United
Misbah-ul-Haq (capt.), DR Smith, Sharjeel Khan, BJ Haddin, Khalid Latif, AD Russell, Asif Ali, S Badree, Imran Khalid, Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Sami
Quetta Gladiators
Sarfraz Ahmed (capt.), Bismillah Khan, Ahmed Shehzad, Kevin Pietersen, Kumar Sangakkara, Mohammad Nawaz, Grant Elliot, Nathan McCullum, Anwar Ali, Zulfiqar Babar, Aizaz Cheema
What makes the Quetta Gladiators so fascinating?
Saqlain Umar lists five reasons:
'King Richards: What more could you ask for?
With Sir Vivian Richards on their side, it does not come as a surprise that Quetta has punched above its weight. Fit as ever, the West Indian great is no doubt an inspiration to those sharing the dug out with him.
But what's more fascinating is the way opposition camps have reacted to his presence. It's almost like all the players in the league want to impress him.
It was interesting to note what commentator Ramiz Raja revealed during one of Quetta's matches. According to Raja, Imran Khan especially invited 'The King' to the Pakistan dressing room to have a chat with boys before their crucial 1992 World Cup match against Australia.
His brief speech set Pakistan on course, Raja said.
Kevin Pietersen: The captain's captain
The on-field interactions between Sarfraz and KP have been a treat to watch. On many occasions Pietersen has directed traffic and it's great to see the pariah of England cricket play such an important role on the cricket field.
He has appeared the most motivated out of all the imports in the PSL and it wouldn't be a surprise if KP is officially handed the reigns in the next season.
Mohammad Nawaz: Not just a bowler
Nawaz may be the highest wicket-taker of the PSL with 8 scalps in four games, but it is his sound technique with the bat which is cause for real celebration.
In Nawaz, Pakistan may have a genuine all-rounder who is 'proper' in all aspects of his game.
What's more he's a left-handed batsman who is aesthetically pleasing and can hit the big shots as well.
Pakistan haven't had that for a long, long time now.
Sarfraz Ahmed: Throwback to Miandad
In the mountainous chase of 195 against Lahore, Quetta lost Ahmed Shehzad, Luke Wright and Kevin Pietersen inside the powerplay. Sarfraz Ahmed and Mohammad Nawaz then combined in a 74-run partnership, 20 of which came off Hammad Azam's bowling.
The highlight of the 41-ball stand was, however, Sarfraz's improvisations and daredevil running between the wickets.
Commentator Alan Wilkins was forced to concede that Sarfraz had brought back memories of the great Javed Miandad with his street smarts.
The 28-year-old is giving the national selectors a serious tap for when captain Shahid Afridi walks away from the T20 game.
The unique charm of Nabi and Chigumbura
Afghanistan's Mohammad Nabi and Zimbabwe's Elton Chigumbura may not be the most well-known names in international cricket but Quetta has ensured they haven't picked players for star value,
Nabi and Chigumbura are the backbone of their national sides and appear to be gelling fast into a Quetta side which is less flash and more hard work.
“If the two or three things Pietersen said, two or three things Viv Richards told me, if I can take those to the youngsters and share them, it would only help Afghanistan cricket,” Nabi said in an interview with Cricinfo last week.
It sums up precisely why the PSL can actually be a meaningful league unlike the slam-bang affairs that T20 tournaments have become. It also makes Quetta the team to follow in the tournament.
Mohammad Irfan to Bismillah Khan, OUT,
Irfan has struck, Bismillah was squared up completely and the finger has gone up but the batsman looks unhappy! Much shorter ball on leg stump and massive swing and bounce, Bismillah closed the face of the bat towards the leg side and it looked like the ball deviated so much that the keeper had to dive in front of first slip to take the catch. Haddin it was
Bismillah Khan c †Haddin b Mohammad Irfan 0 (3b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00