PSL5
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PSL5: An early look at every team’s weaknesses

Qasim Mujtaba Naqvi·
Pakistan Super League (PSL)
·3 Comments·

A brief overview of each team in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), and what needs to be improved for them to succeed…

The end of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) draft is typically followed by a countdown to the tournament’s first ball. However, with PSL5 still over a month away, all we can do is take a measured look at each team’s frailties and discuss how they can be addressed. T20 cricket is a multi-faceted extravaganza and each team brings their own unique set of strategies to the table – but as past editions of the PSL have shown, squad depth is extremely  important. Neglecting a single department can diminish the team’s overall probability of success. With the squad limit capped at 18 this year instead of the usual 21, it’s stimulating to think about where each side will be found wanting.

Quetta Gladiators

Squad: Sarfaraz Ahmed (c), Shane Watson, Jason Roy, Mohammad Nawaz, Ben Cutting, Ahmed Shehzad, Umar Akmal, Fawad Ahmed, Mohammad Hasnain, Ahsan Ali, Naseem Shah, Tymal Mills, Sohail Khan, Khurram Manzoor, Abdul Nasir, Azam Khan, Aarish Ali Khan, Keemo Paul

Biggest Weakness: Inexperienced pace line-up.

One look at Quetta’s probable XI for the PSL5 and you’re hard pressed to find any flaws. Look at it through a more critical lens, however, and their pace attack may come into question. Both Hasnain and Naseem are still teenagers despite being capped by Pakistan at the highest level, and it’ll be just their second season in the PSL. Sohail Khan could come in as a third pacer – but with Sarfaraz’s liking of Nawaz as a new-ball bowler on Pakistani pitches and Ben Cutting’s presence in the squad, Sohail could hurt the balance of the XI. Keemo Paul, another option, is also inexperienced and was playing U19 cricket less than five years ago.

If you give Tymal Mills a go, you might have to rest Fawad Ahmed as an overseas player. Cutting has more game-time under his belt, but he’s no longer the express pacer he used to be – as is the case with Shane Watson. As a result, Hasnain and Naseem will bear most of the fast bowling burden. The prodigies definitely have the talent to deliver, and the pressure in PSL5 will test their resilience as well.

Peshawar Zalmi

Squad: Daren Sammy (c), Hassan Ali, Kieron Pollard, Wahab Riaz, Kamran Akmal, Tom Banton, Shoaib Malik, Imam-ul-Haq, Liam Dawson, Umar Amin, Rahat Ali, Dwaine Pretorius, Adil Amin, Mohammad Mohsin, Liam Livingstone, Haider Ali, Aamir Ali, Mohammad Amir Khan

Biggest Weakness: Sammy’s inconsistency.

Peshawar have arguably the best squad on paper for PSL5, with almost no visible weaknesses. They have openers that can explode (Tom Banton will be amazingly fun to watch alongside Kamran Akmal), and a middle-order that can hold firm but also accelerate if needed. Hassan Ali and Wahab Riaz are the backbone of arguably PSL’s best death bowling unit over the last four seasons, and Liam Dawson is as consistent as ever with both bat and ball.

The only anomaly is the skipper. Sammy was plagued with injuries a couple of years ago and last season saw him dwindle in terms of performance even more. He’s still brilliant on his day, but a batsman who bats at number seven and doesn’t bowl isn’t exactly the most valuable asset in T20 cricket. Having been an amazing captain for the Zalmi, this could be the year the Caribbean legend’s age catches up to him.

Islamabad United

Squad: Shadab Khan (c), Colin Ingram, Colin Munro, Faheem Ashraf, Asif Ali, Dale Steyn, Luke Ronchi, Hussain Talat, Rumman Raees, Zafar Gohar, Amad Butt, Rizwan Hussain, Phil Salt, Muhammad Musa, Akif Javed, Ahmed Safi Abdullah, Rassie van der Dussen, Saif Badar

Biggest Weakness: Misbah ul-Haq and Shadab Khan.

Two in two for the “man at the top is the weakest link” brigade here, but I guess that’ll happen when squads are immaculate. ISLU give Zalmi a tough run for best squad on paper. In fact, the overseas contingent of Islamabad United for PSL5 is as star-studded as ever. That puts immense pressure on the captain-in-waiting Shadab Khan. Shadab hasn’t been in the best of form since early 2019 and is now captaining a side that’ll be under extreme pressure to perform given Misbah-ul-Haq’s appointment as coach.

The Pakistan head coach-cum-chief selector has overseen a downturn in Pakistan’s T20 fortunes with less than a year to go before the T20 World Cup. Any below par performances could therefore have the media breathing down both captain and coach’s neck. Amidst both on and off-field changes, the most successful franchise in the PSL will be challenged this year. Nonetheless, four years of watching ISLU ensures all of their decisions will be made #DimaghSe.

Multan Sultans

Squad: Mohammad Irfan, Moeen Ali, Rilee Roussow, Shahid Afridi, Ravi Bopara, Zeeshan Ashraf, Sohail Tanvir, James Vince, Junaid Khan, Shan Masood, Ali Shafiq, Khushdil Shah, Fabian Allen, Usman Qadir, Mohammad Ilyas, Rohail Nazir, Imran Tahir, Bilawal Bhatti

Biggest Weakness: Top-order batsmen.

One of the most publicized selections of squads has been of the Sultans, who have adopted the ISLU introduced statistical model. By bringing Andy Flower in as coach for PSL5, the franchise’s owners have further signalled their intent. However, the lack of established top-order batsmen could prove detrimental to their chances in the tournament. Shan Masood has been rumoured as captain – but with no offence to the Kuwait-born opener, he isn’t the first-choice T20 player outlets are making him out to be.

There will already be a lot of pressure on Zeeshan Ashraf, who was the subject of the draft’s only ‘wildcard’ pick, and Pakistan U19 Captain Rohail Nazir. The latter, along with being a top-order batsman, is also a wicket-keeper and has been deemed the long-term answer to Pakistan’s biggest problem by many. Hence, the manner in which the Multan top-order deals with the weight of expectation will determine how their tournament goes.

Lahore Qalandars

Squad: Sohail Akhtar (c), Mohammad Hafeez, Fakhar Zaman, Chris Lynn, Shaheen Shah Afridi, David Wiese, Usman Shinwari, Samit Patel, Seekkugge Prasanna, Haris Rauf, Ben Dunk, Jaahid Ali, Farzan Raja, Salman Butt, Dilbar Hussain, Lendl Simmons, Faizan Khan, 18th pick to be made

Biggest Weakness: Unpredictable new additions.

For the first time in what seems like forever, the Lahore Qalandars come into the tournament with a squad that seems to covers all bases. However, there’s still a visible trend in their picks for PSL5. Farzan Raja, Haris Rauf, Dilbar Hussain, Faizan Khan, and a fifth player have all been picked up from their Player Development Programme (PDP). Sohail Akhtar, the captain for this year, has been promoted from there as well.

Haris Rauf was brilliant in the Big Bash, as was Chris Lynn, but that doesn’t change the fact that a large chunk of their squad is untested at this level. It’ll be interesting to see how these players adapt to the circumstances. With Aqib Javed and Sameen Rana still at the helm – much to the fans’ displeasure – the Qalandars are up against it once more. According to most analysts, their management will have to improve miraculously to to avoid another disastrous season.

Karachi Kings

Squad: Babar Azam, Mohammad Amir, Alex Hales, Imad Wasim, Iftikhar Ahmed, Chris Jordan, Cameron Delport, Sharjeel Khan, Mohammad Rizwan, Aamir Yamin, Usama Mir, Dan Lawrence, Ali Khan, Umaid Asif, Umer Khan, Arshad Iqbal, Liam Plunkett, Awais Zia

Biggest Weakness: Lack of batting depth.

The Kings have made solid Moneyball teams since 2017, but this year the ball seems to have rolled over into the wrong side of town. Out of all the franchises, the most blatantly underweight department in the PSL5 is Karachi Kings’ batting. Babar, Hales, Delport, Sharjeel, and Iftikhar are the obvious options in a batting order that includes an out-of-form Mohammad Rizwan at number six. Apart from the aforementioned lot, Englishman Dan Lawrence and Awais Zia are the only two other recognised batsmen. Karachi’s strategy is pretty straightforward: Babar to bat through with support from the rest of the batting unit, and the likes of Chris Jordan and Imad Wasim to show some aggression at the end.

However, a Plan B seems difficult to conjure up for this squad. Rizwan hasn’t been in good T20 form for a while now, and every other option is either facing similar woes, or remains untested at PSL level. Even Sharjeel Khan, who’s returning from a spot-fixing ban, hasn’t played at this level for years. The decision to not pick a back-up wicketkeeper is also startling. That said, Karachi Kings have stellar bowling options and if they click together at the right time, they could mount a much-awaited title challenge. Their fans certainly believe such a showing is long overdue.

PSL fever has already begun for this author and it’ll be interesting to see what comes next in the most highly anticipated T20 tournament for Pakistanis around the world!