February 21: PSL - Karachi Kings v Peshawar Zalmi, Karachi
NOTE: We might not always be able to tip you off about late injury (or other relevant) updates Our XI: Babar Azam, Alex Hales, Tom Banton, Kamran Akmal, Ifthikar Ahmed, Liam Livingstone, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Umer Khan, Wahab Riaz, Amir Khan Captain: Babar Azam The No.1-ranked T20I batsman should definitely be your captain. He was also the second highest run-getter for Karachi in PSL 2019, with 335 runs at a strike rate of 115.51 Azam will be keen to do more of the same or even better that tally this season. His last five T20I innings read 66*, 0, 6, 50, 59*. Vice-captain: Alex Hales The England batsman comes into the PSL on the back of some terrific form. He was the second-highest scorer in BBL 2019-20, with 576 runs in 17 innings at a strike rate of nearly 147. All told, in his last six innings, he has his 322 runs. Hot picks Tom Banton Another explosive English top-order batsman that the bowlers will be wary of as he has the ability to take the game away from them in a matter of a few overs. In T20s in 2019, Banton has scored 609 runs from 362 balls at a strike rate of 168.20, which is the best among batsmen with 500-plus runs in the powerplay. Kamran Akmal The 38-year old wicketkeeper-batsman is still a force to be reckoned with in the PSL. He had taken Peshawar into the final last season with a 43-ball 74 in the second eliminator. In all, he hit 357 runs last season, following up his 425 runs in PSL 2018. In all, Kamran is the top scorer in the history of the PSL, with 1286 runs in 46 innings. Mohammad Amir
Amir topped the bowling charts for a large part of the BPL in the lead-up to the PSL. He picked up 20 wickets in the tournament at a strike rate of 15.1, including a career-best 6 for 17. Value picks Mohammad Amir Khan The youngster is fresh out of the Under-19 set-up. He had impressed with some hostile bowling in the three matches he played in South Africa, taking seven wickets. Ifthikar Ahmed The hard-hitting allrounder made his T20I debut in 2016 but only came into the limelight after a couple of blistering knocks against Australia at their own backyard. He can finish the innings and can also bowl a couple of useful overs. Point to note In Karachi last year, 69% of the wickets were taken by the pacers. The fingerspinners went for eight an over while the wristspinners went for 8.28 an over.
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