Pakistan T20 League 2023

Match 3: MUL vs QUE

Preview 

The Third game of the Pakistan T20 League will be played between MUL vs QUE on Wednesday, 15th February 2023, in Multan Cricket Stadium at 06:30 PM IST. When the Sultans were chasing 176 runs against Lahore, Rizwan ended with his team's highest score of 75 runs. It seems easy to get 15 off the last over with Pollard and Khushdil Shah at the crease.

Fakhar Zaman had other ideas, as he gave his team a 1-run victory despite allowing two fours on the final two deliveries. However, the cautious play of Shan Masood and Rizwan at the top might hurt their prospects in many upcoming games.

Since there are few dependable middle-order hitters in Pakistan, Rizwan's strategy may be acceptable. But in this situation, he can rely on David Miller, Kieron Pollard, and Khushdil Shah.

Tim David and Rilee Rossouw are among the other players on the team. Because of his poor communication, Rossouw may not be the best pick for the middle order. But one of the two openers has to step it up, play a quickfire knock, and build the groundwork for a large total.

Rizwan may continue to serve as the anchor while Masood fills this position. This season, Rizwan's primary area of worry should be the bowling attack due to the absence of David Willey and Imran Tahir. Their past year's success was mainly due to the seasoned leg-break bowler.

Shahnawaz Dahani, Sameen Gul, and Ihsanullah now have to place the Sultans in a position of strength with the ball.

Given the makeup of their team, it was unexpected that the Gladiators would finish fifth last season with just four victories.

After making a successful comeback to international cricket with a significant Test century at home, captain Sarfaraz Ahmed must feel confident. But, this time, he needs to come out and express himself better in the lower middle order.

Others, like Mohammad Nawaz and the strong Iftikhar Ahmed, are essential for a strong finish. Last year, Will Smeed and Ahsan Ali routinely appeared at the top of the rankings. They played several noteworthy knocks that contributed to a handful of their victories.

Sarfaraz should also consider replacing Smeed this year with Jason Roy or Martin Guptill. Due to the absence of Ben Duckett from the team this season, Quetta will be searching for a replacement for the position of number 3.

Additionally, there have been some changes in the bowling division as well. The Gladiators have released James Faulkner and Sohail Tanvir. The all-rounders' department becomes even stronger with Wanindu Hasaranga in the roster, giving depth to the bowling attack's batting order and diversity.

The Gladiators might start their 2023 season on a winning note if their key players perform as expected. This team is outstanding on paper.

Match Details

Match: MUL vs QUE, 3rd Match, Pakistan T20 League, 2023

Date: Wednesday, February 15, 2023

Time: 6:30 PM

Venue: Multan Cricket Stadium, Multan

Pitch and Weather Report

On this surface, there is little for the pacers. However, this dry surface may help the spinners in several ways. First, the forecast calls for bright skies and a peak temperature of 29℃.

In domestic T20 matches, this field's average first innings scoring is 171 runs. Teams will need to aim for anything above that for a winning total. This field hasn't hosted a T20 international game yet and hasn't seen many PAK T20 games. Given that it's a new surface at the beginning of a new season, the game may be high-scoring.

In the 17 National T20 Cup games played here, teams batting second have won 10 times. Both teams will feel more at ease chasing a total since they both have strong batting lineups with big-hitting finishers.

MUL vs QUE Squads

MUL: Mohammad Rizwan, Khushdil Shah, Rilee Rossouw, Shan Masood, Shahnawaz Dahani, Tim David, Abbas Afridi, Ihsanullah, David Miller, Josh Little, Akeal Hosein, Usama Mir, Usman Khan, Sameen Gul, Anwar Ali, Mohammad Sarwar, Arafat Minhas, Kieron Pollard, Ammad Butt, Wayne Parnell (partial/full replacement for Adil Rashid), Izharulhaq Naveed (partial replacement for David Miller)

QUE: Mohammad Nawaz, Iftikhar Ahmed, Jason Roy, Mohammad Hasnain, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Naveen ul Haq, Umar Akmal, Will Smeed, Wanindu Hasaranga, Naseem Shah, Odean Smith, Mohammad Hafeez, Umaid Asif, Muhammad Zahid, Abdul Bangalzai, Aimal Khan, Martin Guptill, Omair Bin Yousuf, Qais Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Dwaine Pretorius (partial replacement for Odean Smith), Will Jacks (partial replacement for Jason Roy), Nuwan Thushara (partial replacement for Naveen ul Haq)

MUL vs QUE Probable Playing XIs

MUL: Shan Masood, Mohammad Rizwan (c & wk), Usman Khan, Kieron Pollard, David Miller, Khushdil Shah, Akeal Hosein, Usama Mir, Sameen Gul, Shahnawaz Dahani, Ihsanullah

QUE: Will Smeed, Ahsan Ali, Umar Akmal, Sarfaraz Ahmed (c & wk), Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Wanindu Hasaranga, Odean Smith, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Omair Yousuf

Match Prediction

The sultans still hold the advantage despite Gladiators having a deeper batting order and a more diverse bowling attack on paper. This pitch is very new and may be batting-friendly, although it might help the spinners. This would result in a battle of the batters, and the winner would be determined by whether the side had a greater group of big-hitting finishers. While Quetta also has Iftikhar and Sarfaraz, the Sultans' middle order is loaded with powerful weapons, and their top order may need some fixing.

Quetta can start over with a new season, and they have a good chance of winning this game. However, MUL has a slight advantage. They will start as the favorites in our match prediction because of their superior track record on this particular surface and other significant benefits.

We anticipate Multan to triumph.

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