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Abhishek Singh ∙ 22 Aug 2021

CPL 2021 | Team Preview: Will change in captaincy and name push St Lucia to the title this time?

The St. Lucia franchise changed its name from St. Lucia Zouks to St. Lucia Kings in June this year, to be more in line with its sister IPL franchise Punjab Kings. The Punjab franchise had to change its name prior to the 2021 season of the Indian Premier League. And how incidental or weird it would be that even before Punjab Kings could have their outcome of a name change in terms of change in fortune, St. Lucia Kings would have already had theirs, thanks to the rescheduling of the IPL. This year, it would be the first time in the team’s history that DarenSmmy wouldn’t be leading them and South Africa’s Faf du Plessis has been named skipper. du Plessis was also named skipper of The Hundred franchise Northern Superchargers, but couldn’t recover in time from the concussion that he encountered during PSL 2021, to play for the Superchargers. It would be interesting to see if he plays in the CPL and how. St. Lucia Kings Squad Rahkeem Cornwall, Keemo Paul, Andre Fletcher, Kesrick Williams, Obed McCoy, Mark Deyal, Roston Chase, Javelle Glen, Keron Cottoy, Jeavor Royal, Kadeem Alleyne, Alzarri Joseph Overseas: Faf du Plessis (c), Samit Patel, Wahab Riaz, Usman Qadir, Tim David Head Coach: Andy Flower, Team Mentor: Daren Sammy Bowling the best bet for Kings to go all the way The Kings in the display have the likes of Wahab Riaz, Obed McCoy and Kesrick Williams as three of the suited t20 bowlers in the ranks who with their pace and the change of it can work any batting line-up up. Wahab has tons of experience in T20 cricket, so much so that he has played for 45 different clubs in his 16 years and 281 matches old career where he has picked up 338 wickets. Williams on the other end has been part of the CPL for a long time has played 100 T20s, giving a glance as to what can be expected from him. Along with his signature celebration, he has 129 wickets which means he is mostly trusted with the ball in the teams that he plays. McCoy is young but highly impactful with the change of pace and he has shown that in the series against South Africa and Australia that West Indies played recently. In fact, he picked 14 wickets in his last matches. Others in the pace battery include two more West Indian quicks who can bat as well in the form of Keemo Paul, Alzarri Joseph. They are such players who can win games at least once in the season with sheer ability on their day. Along with pace, the spin department is bustling with talent as well. While Samit Patel and Sman Qadir are established T20 names, it is the local talent in the form of Rahkeem Cornwall, Javelle Glen and Roston Chase along with newbie Jeavor Royal that makes it a hell of an attack. With so many options to choose from, it is really going to be a hard time for skipper du Plessis to chose his bowling attack. Batting is a weak link While there is no dearth of options in terms of bowling, the batting unit of the Kings looks comparatively weaker. They have the experience of du Plessis and all-rounder, Patel and also the good form of Tim David. But apart from that, there is not a single player who could be trusted to play according to the situation. Andre Fletcher, the Spiceman can no doubt kick some storm on his day, but he has his days in one out of six-seven games and this tournament isn’t that long that Kings could afford for him to keep on misfiring. Will Roston Chase be able to score quickly is another question because it takes time for both Samit Patel and Faf to settle down as well and a team can’t afford to have three similar batters in the XI. Others who can bat include Keron Cottoy, Mark Deyal and Kadeem Alleyne. There isn’t much evidence to prove that these batters could bat the team out in crucial situations. Mark Deyal at the top could be handy no doubt. The magic combination that could win them the title The team finished second last season and what worked the most in their favour was their bowling and the captaincy of Daren Sammy. The main bowler, Scott Kugglein is no more part of the Kings and Daren Sammy is not the captain either, although he would still remain in the dugout. But as they say, every season can’t be the same. Hence, the cocktail that could work for Kings this season is Tim David and Samit Patel’s big-hitting combined with the anchor batting of skipper Faf du Plessis at the top and Fletcher being given free hand to play as he wishes. If this is done in batting and Usman Qadir and Cornwall are able to weave their magic with the ball, then the pace trio of McCoy, Williams and Joseph could be risked in all games. Can they win it? With the side that they have got, the best finish for them could be nothing less than the title. They have an anchor in the batting in form of du Plessis, an aggressor in Fletcher, a middle-order stabiliser in Patel and a finisher in David. In bowling, they have more than a decent off-spinner in Cornwall and a supremely talented leg spinner in the form of Usman Qadir to go with a master of change of pace in McCoy. If you can’t win with a team as good as this, it would be hard to win with any other as well. Probable Playing XI Faf du Plessis (c), Andre Fletcher (wk), Mark Deyal, Roston Chase, Samit Patel, Tim David, Alzarri Joseph, Rahkeem Cornwall, Usman Qadir, Kesrick Williams, Obed McCoy

Wish you played for Pakistan: How Usman’s last conversation with father Abdul Qadir changed it all

When Usman Qadir was doing exceedingly well in Australia for Western Australia and Perth Scorchers in domestic cricket and Big Bash League, so much so that he went on to represent Prime Minister’s XI against touring South Africa, his aim was to represent Australia by 2020 World Cup. This was in 2018. Cut to 2019 and Usman is taking to his father on a regular day. “One day, I was sitting with my dad and he was saying: ‘I know you are playing in Australia at the moment but my wish was that you play for Pakistan and have a star on your chest – it’s a dream for me.’,” Qadir was quoted as saying to Wisden. This conversation would have passed like many other had in September 2019, Abdul Qadir not suffered a cardiac arrest and passed away in Lahore at the age of 63. Usman was devastated, but his father’s sentences kept ringing in his mind. His goals suddenly changed. “What he said to me stuck in my head. I can’t tell you about that feeling,” said the 27-year-old. The leggie started putting in more hard work because he wanted to play for Pakistan. Results followed as only a month on from the loss of his father, Usman featured for Central Punjab in the National T20 Cup and good performances and an experience of Australian cricket made sure that he was selected in Pakistan’s T20I squad for a tour of Australia. However, it was not until November 2020 that Qadir finally got a shot at international cricket. In the home series of three T20Is against Zimbabwe, Usman picked eight wickets and was named Player of the Series, finally realising his father’s much-cherished dream. Usman says, “My father didn’t tell me to bowl leg-spin, nobody told me. It’s a natural thing I have in my blood. But he did want me to play for Pakistan.” Having fulfilled his father’s dreams, the Lahore born, who would be turning 28 in a few months time has now set his own goals. “My major goal is to play three World Cups in a row. This is my ambition. Inshallah, if I work hard, I will make it.” While his father is one of the most celebrated Test cricketers in Pakistan with 236 wickets from 67 Tests, how much would Usman get, is yet to be seen?

PSL 2021 | MS vs ISU: In dress rehearsal before the Qualifier, Islamabad hand Multan its first defeat in Abu Dhabi leg

Islamabad United defeated Multan Sultans by four wickets to end the league stage of the Pakistan Super League 2021. With this win, United ended up with eight wins from 10 games and earned 16 points from the possible 20 to top the points table. Sultans on the other hand suffered their first defeat of the Abu Dhabi leg of the tournament, having won four games in a row to qualify for the Playoffs. The match went up to the last over thanks to some lethargic approach by both the teams. Chasing a modest total of 150 to win the game, United got off to go a start as the new openers Umar Amin and the wicketkeeper-batsman Muhammad Akhlaq added 39 for the first wicket before the latter was removed by Larkana express Shahnawaz Dhani. The highest wicket-taker in the tournament so far, Dhani also picked up the wicket of Amin in his next over. United skipper Shadab Khan finally found some form as he hit 35 off 27 balls to get the team closer to the total. He was removed from Muhammad Umar, who was playing just his second game of the season. Asif Ali and Hussain Talat then got the men in red near the target just before a mini-collapse unfolded to create some drama at the end. When Sultans needed less than run a ball, Brandon King was removed by a ripper of a top spinner by Usman Qadir, who was playing his first game of the Abu Dhabi leg. Before that Qadir had already removed Asif Ali. In the last over, with four to defend, Blessing Muzarabani was called in by Mohammad Rizwan. According to the set plan, Muzarabani bowled bouncer and Talat top-edged to deep fine leg where Dhani pulled a blinder of a catch to set the Sultans dug out on fire and made them stand and applaud his fielding. However, Iftikhar Ahmed completed the three required runs even as a leg before the wicket appeal was made and rejected on the last delivery as Ahmed and Mohammad Wasim Jr. scampered through for the winning run. Reacting to the win, United skipper Shadab praised his rookie bowler Wasim Jr. for a great performance. “It was his (Wasim) effort that has paid dividends. He wanted to prove himself and I just backed him,” he said. Talking about the challenge of facing Multan once again in the Qualifiers, he said, “ They are a tough team, they are in good form and it's about who handles pressure better. We'll try to ensure that we do the simple things right.” Earlier in the evening, Multan Sultans were invited to bat after losing the toss. Both teams, secured of a 1-2 finish at the points table, chose to test their bench strength. Multan, after a steady start by openers Shan Masood and Rizwan, faltered in the later phase of the innings. Even after Masood’s 59, the Sultans could manage only 149 as they got bundled out in 20 overs. Wasim Jr. was at his very best for United, finishing up with 4-31 in his four overs spell and then going on to win the Man of the Match award. Reacting after the loss, Multan skipper Rizwan said, “I am happy with the effort as we kept fighting till the end and that's the kind of quality we expect from the team. Hopefully, we can beat them in the next game.” Courtesy finishing second on the points table, Rizwan and his team would indeed meet United in the very next game, which would be the Qualifier of the tournament and will be played on June 21 at Sheikh Zayed Stadium.

Luke Jongwe’s all-round effort goes in vain as Rizwan, Qadir shine in Pakistan victory

Pakistan continued from what they had left in South Africa as they started their Zimbabwe tour with a win in the first of the three T20Is at Harare Sports Club. Riding on vice-captain Mohammad Rizwan’s unbeaten 82 off 61 balls, the bowlers put in a resurgent effort to avoid a defeat at the hands of the opponent against whom they have not lost a single T20I game in their 14 meetings. Usman Qadir was the pick of the bowlers for the men in green with his match-winning efforts of 3-22. Zimbabwe started their chase of a modest 150 on a positive note with openers scoring 20 runs in the first two overs. But the opening stand couldn’t flourish much as speedster Mohammad Hasnain got Wesely Madhevere caught by skipper Babar Azam. Debutant Tadiwanashe Marumani followed suit on the very next ball, with Babar and Hasnain repeating bot their efforts. Craig Ervine, who was making his comeback into the side then got into a partnership with opener Tinashe Kamunhukamwe and added 56 runs in 48 balls. Veteran Mohammad Hafeez broke the partnership with his part-time off-spin by removing Kamunhukamwe. Qadir removed Ervine in the very next over and the chase got difficult for the Zimbabweans, even though skipper Sean Williams and all-rounder Ryan burl were present at the crease. Haris Rauf and Qadir then paired up to remove skipper Williams and wicket-keeper batsman Regis Chakabva to put the Chevrons in all sorts of bother at 95-6 at the end of the 14th over. With 55 required from the last six, Luke Jongwe, who had bowled brilliantly joined Burl and the two took the scorecard to 122. But with Burl getting removed from the last ball of the 18th, it was too much to do for Jongwe with 28 needed from the last two and no player with batting credentials to accompany him. In the end, the Zimbabwe team could only manage to get to 138, eventually losing the game by 11 runs. Earlier in the day, Zimbabwe had won the toss and sent in Pakistan to bat first. The Men in Green didn’t have a good start as Word no. 2 T20I batsmen and Babar was removed easily by Blessing Muzarabani. No one other than Rizwan, Fakhar Zaman and Danis Aziz entered the double figures for Pakistan even as the team got to 149. Hadn’t it been for Rizwan’s 5th T20I fifty, Pakistan were looking down the barrel without much hope. The two teams would now face each other in the second game on April 23 at the same venue.

SA vs PAK | 3rd ODI: Clinical Pakistan too powerful for depleted Proteas, clinch ODI series 2-1

Pakistan defended the target of 321 runs in the third and final ODI of the series against South Africa to clinch the series 2-1. The men in green became only the second side after Australia to have won an ODI series twice in the rainbow nation. Chasing a steep target, South Africa were off to an impressive start as the pair of Janneman Malan and Aiden Markram looked in fluent touch. The former looked at absolute ease against the pace of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Hasan Ali with the new balls. The tourists failed to strike big early but had enough depth in the bowling attack to keep control over the depleted South African side that made as many as seven changes in the side from the last game. The hosts were marred with the absence of players who have gone for the IPL and the injury-enforced absence of Russie van der Dussen. From 72 for no loss, South Africa suffered a collapse in the middle phase at the hands of debutant leg spinner Usman Qadir and left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz. Qadir finished with one wicket while Nawaz was more successful with the ball and scalped three big wickets of Malan, skipper Temba Bavuma and Heinrich Klassen in the middle overs. South Africa’s future appeared doomed when Klasse walked back to the pavilion just after the halfway stage. However, the pair of Andile Phehlukwayo and Kyle Verreynne had other ideas. The duo started punishing Pakistani bowlers for their rare inaccuracies and hosts breathed a sigh of relief. They added 108 run partnership to put Proteas on the track to chase down, but having all specialist batsmen already back in the pavilion made their case shaky. In the end, all of the firepower the duo showed and crips innings by Malan failed to match up to the batting might of Pakistan in the all-important series decider.

Déjà vu for Multan all over as Peshawar’s Haider Ali steals the show from Shahnawaz Dhani

Not once, but twice have Multan Sultans lost a game in the 19th over of the second innings, after dominating it for the most part. While they needed to defend 21 against Peshawar Zalmi tonight where they failed, they had also failed to defend 20 against Islamabad United on 21st February in a similar situation. The culprits on both occasions might have been different in name and deeds, but were similar in letting down the expectations of the captain and the team. Sohail Tanvir had conceded 19 in the 19th over against Islamabad to kill the game even before it went to the last over, tonight it was Shahnawaz Dhani. Dhani, a young man from Sindh was entrusted by skipper Mohammad Rizwan to defend 21 from the last two overs. It was expected that the 22-year-old who gave way just eight runs in his previous over and took two crucial wickets of dangermen Sherfane Rutherford and Tom Kohler Cadmore, would curtail the runs and leave more for senior pro, Sohail Tanvir to defend in the last over. Cadmore and Rutherford were taking the game away from Sultans with their seven ball 19 runs partnership. However, the plan turned on its head as Under-19 star Haider Ali smoked a six off the very first ball of the Dhani over to put the young fast bowler under pressure. Dhani then bowled a high bouncer, which threatened to go for four byes behind the wickets, if it wasn't for a great effort from skipper Rizwan with the gloves. Ali, who had also hit Carlos Brathwaite for 13 runs in the 18th over, transferred the responsibility of achieving the target to senior partner Shoaib Malik. Malik, 39, utilised his 20 years of experience and hit Dhani for a six over long-on off a length ball to kill the game. As if all this was not enough, Ali who came to the crease to face the last ball with four runs still required, tonked the overpitched delivery over extra cover to finish things in style with a six. The Attock born remained unbeaten on 25 off just eight balls, while Malik made 11 runs off five balls. While Ali was the show stealer, it was Cadmore who had actually made a game out of the contest for the Zalmi in the first place. The Yorkshire man scored a 32 ball 53 to keep Zalmi in the hunt, even as the required run-rate kept on mounting. He was supported well by Imam-Ul-Haq early on and then by Rutherford. Credit must also be given to Sultan fielders for missing chances in the field. While captain Rizwan missed a stumping chance when Cadmore failed to read a flipper from Shahid Afridi early on in the innings, Rilee Rossouw too let go of an easy run-out chance to dismiss the Englishman. Cadmore was awarded Man of the Match for his brilliant innings. The Zalmi started the run chase in a positive manner as Kamran Akmal counter attacked the Multan pacers and got Peshwar to a flyer. Zalmi had scored 57 in just 6.2 overs before Akmal was trapped by Usman Qadir before the wickets. Qadir turned out to be the most economical Multan bowler giving away just 29 runs in his four overs. Earlier in the evening, put into to bat after losing the toss, Sultans were given a jolt very early in their innings as Chris Lynn failed once again, getting caught in the slips off an outswinger from Mohammad Irfan. James Vince, who came to the crease after this wicket, turned out to be the game-changer for Sultans, scoring a brilliant 84 off 55 balls. He hit nine fours and three sixes in his innings. While he added 82 with Rizwan for the third wicket. Sohaib Maqsood got together with the Englishman to add another 71 off just 40 balls, helping the Multan total to reach 193 at the end of 20 overs. While Rizwan scored 41, Maqsood with the help of four fours and two sixes reached 36 in 21 balls before being removed by Saqib Mahmood. Mahmood was the pick of the bowlers for the Zalmi taking two wickets off his four overs after conceding 24 runs. This win at the National Stadium in Karachi was the first for Zalmi as the Sultans would remain winless heading into their third game on 26th February against Lahore Qalandars, who have won two in two.

Pakistan eye series win as young, energetic Proteas aim to draw level

The Pakistani team defeated a young but talented South African side, only just by three runs, to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match T20I series at the Gadaffi Stadium in Lahore. The Babar Azam led side would now be looking to get over with the series by winning the next game and securing an unassailable 2-0 lead. On the other hand, Heinrich Klassen’s men would like to take one more step and finish the game this time around to push the series into the decider on Sunday. The last match went down to the wire unexpectedly in a way that the South African team wasn’t backed to deliver the goods that it did with both bat and ball. Pakistan’s wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan was the hero of the match, hitting an amazing hundred and taking the game away from the Rainbow nation. However, the likes of Tabrez Shamsi and Bjorn Fortuin tried to pull things back. In the chase too the South African young guns in Janneman Malan and Reeza Hendricks did well to give the team a great start. Usman Qadir, the Pakistan debutant spinner was equally good and brought the team back in the game. His brilliant spell was followed well by the pacers Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf. Although Pakistan finally got the victory, in no respect the young South African were an easy pushover. It is this fighting spirit of their that gives hope for another cracking game at the Gadaffi Stadium on 13th February. Pakistan vs South Africa: Match Details Match Number-2 Date and Time: Feb 13, 2021, 6:30:00 PM IST, 06:00 PM Local, 01: 00 pm GMT Venue: Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore Broadcast and Live Stream: Sony Ten and Sony LIV Players to look out for Pakistan Mohammed Rizwan: Having become the first Pakistani and only the second wicketkeeper in the world to hit a century in all formats of the game, Rizwan would be brimming with confidence in this game. He displayed a huge range of shots to satisfy the coach and team management that promoting him to open was a great decision. Usman Qadir: Slower through the air, deceptive in his flight and with a high percentage of dot balls in his kitty from his debut game, Qadir promises to be a great prospect. Probably taking a cue from the legendary leg spinner Abdul Qadir, with whom he shares the surname, Qadir is working up the ladder and could be a bright prospect for future, even in longer formats. Strongest XI Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Babar Azam (c), Haider Ali, Hussain Talat, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Usman Qadir, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf South Africa Reeza Hendricks: A perfect fit for the T20 format, Hedricks has shown a lot of potential in the 26 games that he has played so far. But it seems that now is the time he starts cashing in that potential with some match-winning knocks. His 54 in the last innings was a good anchor inning, but the team would be expecting more from him, especially in the prevailing situation where he is one of the senior pros in the side. Tabrez Shamsi: Shamsi, one of those bowlers who would give a wicket every match no matter what has now turned effective by being economical in the middle overs as well. It is spells like his last one (1-20 in 4 overs) that give other bowlers to try different things to pick wickets, even if it costs some runs. Strongest XI Janneman Malan, Reeza Hendricks, Jacques Snyman, Heinrich Klaasen (c & wk), David Miller, Dwaine Pretorius, Andile Phehlukwayo, Bjorn Fortuin, George Linde, Lutho Sipamla, Tabraiz Shamsi Pitch Report The pitch in the first match was typical Lahore wicket and even after a lot of dew, offered something for the spinners even in the second innings, if they bowled slower through the air. Expecting swing in the first innings would be too much, but the fast bowlers can hope that the ball would skid on. In such a situation, they would look to vary the pace and keep the batsmen guessing. For batsmen, it’s as good as it gets as they get true value for their shots. Weather and Report It is going to be chilly in the evening as expected in the northern parts of the Sub-Continent at this time of the year. The clouds would keep on passing, maybe in a failed attempt to curtail the amount of dew, because the dew would be a permanent phenomenon in the evening. There is no doubt that the effect of the dew would be felt more in the evening. Thus the skipper winning the toss would choose to bowl first.

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