In the first edition of the PSL, Peshawar Zalmi were the outstanding team in the group stages, winning six out of eight games and topping the table. However, they lost both the qualifiers in a disappointing manner. With a host of changes giving a new look to the squad this season, can they make it count and win the second edition of the tournament?

By Abdullah Ansari (5th February, 2017)

Full squad: Shahid Afridi, Eoin Morgan (ENG), Wahab Riaz, Tillakaratne Dilshan (SL), Darren Sammy (WI), Mohammad Hafeez, Chris Jordan (ENG), Tamim Iqbal (BD), Kamran Akmal, Sohaib Maqsood, Junaid Khan, Imran Khan Jr., Iftikhar Ahmed, Haris Sohail, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Asghar.

Supplementary: Marlon Samuels (ENG), Andre Fletcher (WI), Mohammad Irfan Khan, Khushdil Shah, Samit Patel (ENG).

Captain: Darren Sammy

Coaching staff: Mohammad Akram (Head Coach/Director), Younis Khan (Batting Coach/Mentor), Grant Luden (Fielding Coach/Fitness Trainer), Ibrahim Qureshi (Assistant Trainer), Bradley Ian Robinson (Physiotherapist)

One of the biggest surprises at the PSL Draft in October last year was the announcement by Zalmi that Shahid Afridi was giving up captaincy to Darren Sammy – the West Indian all-rounder who has lead his country to TWO World T20 titles. The decision could prove to be a stroke of genius, with the new skipper already popular in the inaugural edition of the PSL with owner Javed Afridi proclaiming he should be granted honorary Pakistani citizenship.

At the top of the order, Tamim Iqbal’s presence will be vital as he was the top-scorer for the team last time around; the likes of Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal or supplementary option Andre Fletcher are all more than competent options to partner the Bangladeshi. However, Zalmi may rue not having a more explosive option at the top, a la Qalandars’ Brendon McCullum or United’s Sharjeel Khan.

Peshawar’s middle order is stacked, with England captain Eoin Morgan likely to be the mainstay. Newcomers Sohaib Maqsood, Iftikhar Ahmed and Haris Sohail give a wide variety of options to the captain while the likes of Darren Sammy and Shahid Afridi can provide the lower-order impetus. Marlon Samuels is a superb supplementary option, with him having played a major role in both of Sammy’s WT20 title wins. One to keep an eye on would be aggressive young batsman Khushdil Shah, who has recently shown excellent form in domestic cricket.

With regards to Zalmi’s pace-bowling attack, it is largely the same as last year with the exception of Shaun Tait. The team’s top wicket-taker from PSL 1, Wahab Riaz, will be the leader while Junaid Khan’s exploits in BPL a couple of months ago, should also hold him in good stead. Death-bowling specialist Chris Jordan could prove to be a key addition if utilised correctly despite his tendency to leak runs while Hasan Ali is likely to play a bigger part this time around, after having become one of the mainstays of Pakistan’s LOI attack. Darren Sammy and Imran Khan Jr. can be solid, if unspectacular backups.

The spin attack for Peshawar is likely to be led by the young Mohammad Asghar who picked up 11 wickets in an impressive campaign last season. He will also have more than able support from the perennial crowd favourite and a spinner of some repute, the one and only Shahid Afridi. Mohammad Hafeez’s return to bowling could be crucial to finding the right balance while leg-spinner Mohammad Irfan might spring a surprise or two should be get the chance, with his Warne-esque action.

Owner Javed Afridi has always insisted that the Peshawar Zalmi Foundation is based on similar objectives as the Manchester United Foundation and to underline that fact, the franchise has already done a lot of work behind the scenes with their global effort to raise cricket’s profile. Whilst their plan to take 20 young cancer patients to see PSL 2 has won over people’s hearts, the focus will now shift to the cricket where Peshawar Zalmi are considered to have a strong squad with few weak links. If the team clicks from the get-go, they could prove to be a powerful force.

Key man: Eoin Morgan

Player to watch out for: Hasan Ali

Discuss!