LAH vs PES Dream11 prediction, PSL 2023 Eliminator 2: Lahore Qalandars vs Peshawar Zalmi pitch report, injury

Lahore Qalandars injury update, key players in PSL 2023

There’s no new injury update from the Lahore Qalandars camp as the side will look to bounce back from the morale-sapping defeat against Multan Sultans in Qualifiers on Tuesday.

Will Fakhar Zaman fire runs?

Fakhar Zaman has played some of the best knocks this season, including 115 against Islamabad United eight days ago. However, the batter, who also slammed 26 sixes this season, has failed to maintain the consistency that in the other five knocks in the nearby period saw him score just 34 runs.

The southpaw scored 384 runs in 11 innings so far and will be expected to deliver the goods as the rest of the Qalandars’ batting order is struggling as well with an embarrassing 76 not out in the Qualifier after Multan bowlers found movement on the surface.

Mirza Tahir Baig returned to opening and could only score just eight runs. Abdullah Shafique, who went back to the No. 3 position, was gone for a duck and has scored just 10 runs in the last four innings.

This is likely to lead to the return of Kamran Ghulam in the top-order as the batter scored 31-ball 40 during the league stages recently. His inconsistency, however, has been no different from that of Baig and Shafique.

Hussain Talat and Sikandar Raza need to deliver in middle order

In-form batters Hussain Talat and Sikandar Raza had an off day in the last game as well with both scoring 4 and 1 runs respectively. The duo, however, has been in good form before that with Talat scoring 25 and 63 knocks while Raza has scored 199 runs this season at a strike rate above 185.

Batting above them, Sam Billings was among the three batters who touched the double-digit in the last game but his 27-ball 19 was never helping in the team’s recovery. The Englishman wicketkeeper hasn’t been consistent enough like the rest of the Qalandars batting but may still retain his spot.

There’s enough firepower further down the order in David Wiese, Rashid Khan, and Shaheen Afridi. However, they are expected to do a better job with the ball.

Shaheen Afridi faces his favourite opponents

Shaheen Afridi must be smelling blood as he once faces his favourite opponents in Zalmi, against whom he took nine of his 14 wickets this PSL. He took a five-for in the first win followed by a four-wicket haul for a losing cause in the return leg in Rawalpindi.

However, all-rounders David Wiese and Raza haven’t been among the wickets off late with the ball. The Namibian took two scalps in the last six games while Raza took three in the same period and is utilised as bowling backup.

Among other bowlers in the team, Haris Rauf has been in good form in the closing stages of the competition as 13 of his 17 wickets came in the last six games, including 3/34 in the last game as his pace variations have caught the batters off guard.

Their understudy, Zaman Khan has made a good case for himself with 13 wickets, seven of which came in the last four games.

Rashid Khan takes 16 wickets in nine games

Rashid Khan leads the spin attack alone with 16 wickets in nine games and had match-defining spells as well, leading the improvement of Qalandars post his arrival.

Peshawar Zalmi injury update, team news, key players

Peshawar Zalmi have no injury concerns ahead of the game amd are high on confidence after defeating Islamabad United.

Babar Azam, Saim Ayub and Mohammad Haris hungry for runs

Babar Azam’s exuded his class during Eliminator 1 with a flawless innings of 64 that saw him hit 10 boundaries with finesse. Saim Ayub was more of an apprentice during a 60-run stand with his captain and scored 16-ball 24 to provide a strong start.

Ayub’s rise in the latter stages of the tournament has been an attraction as the 20-year-old batter piled on 332 runs while striking at the rate of 165.17 this PSL.

Mohammad Haris, who was demoted to No. 3 after starting as an opener, added some consistency to his devastating batting and scored 138 runs (including 79 against Islamabad United) in his last three knocks at a strike rate of 205.

Haseebullah Khan entrusted with more responsibility

Wicket-keeper batter Haseebullah Khan was shown more trust by skipper Babar, who promoted the batter up the order to No. 3 to keep the right-hand-left-hand combination going.

Tom Kohler Cadmore has struggled to maintain fluency in his batting off late down the order as the drying pitch hasn’t allowed the batter to play his shots on arrival. The Englishman scored a slow 22-ball 16 as his approach saw Zalmi struggle to go past 200.

James Neesahm disappoints

James Neesham’s return to the playing 11 seems short-lived now as the all-rounder scored just two runs and was ineffective with the ball as well, giving away 19 runs in two overs.

Azmatullah Omarzai left a better impression as he scored some crucial boundaries at the death and bowled a decent spell of 1/33

Wahab Riaz leak runs while youngsters deliver

Wahab Riaz cut a sorry figure in Eliminator 1, giving away 28 runs in two overs while young bowlers Salman Irshad (2/18) and Aamer Jamal (2/36), especially bowling tight in the death overs to seal the win for Peshawar Zalmi. Jamal, in particular, was impressive as he took the big wickets of two set batters in Shoaib Maqsood (60) and Alex Hales (57), and then affected run out of in-form Faheem Ashraf.

Irshad, with his peculiar sling-shot bowling action, also stunned in-form Azam Khan with a yorker to turn the match in Peshawar’s favour from a precarious situation

Mujeeb Ur Rahman had an off day as he gave away 30 runs in four overs while giving away runs in the powerplay, something he is utlised for since finding a place in the playing 11.

Lahore Qalandars vs Peshawar Zalmi squads

Lahore Qalandars squad Rashid Khan, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, David Wiese, Abdullah Shafique, Harry Brook, Kamran Ghulam, Zaman Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Hussain Talat, Sikandar Raza, Liam Dawson, Dilbar Hussain, Mirza Tahir Baig, Ahmed Danlyal, Shawaiz Irfan, Jordan Cox, Jalat Khan, Ahsan Bhatti, Sam Billings (partial replacement for Rashid Khan), Shane Dadswell (replacement for Harry Brook), Kusal Mendis (partial replacement for Jordan Cox), Shai Hope (replacement for Kusal Mendis)

Peshawar Zalmi squad Babar Azam, Sherfane Rutherford, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Haris, Aamir Jamal, Salman Irshad, Tom-Kohler Cadmore, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Rovman Powell, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Danish Aziz, Arshad Iqbal, Saim Ayub, Usman Qadir, Suifyan Muqeem, Haseebullah Khan, Jimmy Neesham, Khurram Shahzad, Haris Sohail, Richard Gleeson (partial replacement for Rovman Powell), Peter Hatzoglou (partial replacement for Mujeeb ur Rahman), Shakib Al Hasan (available until February 26), Azmatullah Omarzai

Lahore Qalandars vs Peshawar Zalmi predicted playing XI LAH vs PES, PSL 2023

Lahore Qalandars predicted playing 11 vs Peshawar Zalmi Rashid Khan, Shaheen Afridi (C), David Wiese, Abdullah Shafique/Mirza Tahir Baig, Zaman Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Hussain Talat, Sikandar Raza, Kamran Ghulam, Sam Billings, Haris Rauf

Peshawar Zalmi predicted playing 11 vs Lahore Qalandars Babar Azam (C), Saim Ayub, Mohammad Haris, Azmatullah Omarzai, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Haseebullah Khan (WK), Rovman Powell/Jimmy Neesham, Aamir Jamal, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Salman Irshad, Wahab Riaz

Lahore Qalandars vs Peshawar Zalmi pitch report LAH vs PES

Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium has gone slower and dryer with help on the offer for spinners. Anything above 160-170 could be a task to chase. There could be help on the offer for pacers too with the Qualifier match seeing swing coming into play in the second innings that eroded the Qalandars’ top order.

LAH vs PES Dream11 prediction, PSL 2023 Eliminator 2

Wicketkeeper M Haris

Batsman B Azam, F Zaman, S Ayub

All-rounder H Talat, A Omarzai, A Jamal

Bowler S Irshad, Rashid Khan, S Afridi, H Rauf

Captain and vice-captain choices B Azam’s and S Ayub’s recent form make them wise choice for captains while Rashid Khan and S Afridi are good options as well.