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          Fantasy Picks: Trust Ahmed Shehzad's record in Karachi

          • ESPNcricinfo staff
          Feb 22, 2020, 12:11 PM

          February 23: PSL - Karachi Kings v Quetta Gladiators, Karachi

          Our XI: Mohammad Rizwan, Jason Roy, Alex Hales, Babar Azam, Shane Watson, Ahmed Shehzad, Sharjeel Khan, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Hasnain, Fawad Ahmed

          Captain: Babar Azam

          Among all Pakistanis who have scored more than 400 T20I runs in a single season, nobody averages more than Babar - he scored 440 runs in the 2018-19 season in just nine games, averaging 55 with a strike rate of 128.3. There are lots of points to be earned if he gets going.

          Vice-captain: Ahmed Shehzad

          Shehzad has an outstanding record at the National Stadium in Karachi. He has scored 252 runs in all T20s at the venue, averaging 63 to go with a strike rate of 140.78. He has also done really well against the Kings, scoring 300 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 154.64.

          Hot Picks

          Alex Hales: His current form is a good enough reason to have him in your team. Hales has scored four 50-plus scores in his last six innings. In Asia, since 2018, Hales has scored 494 T20 runs in 16 innings at a very healthy strike rate of 142.36.

          Mohammad Amir: Amir has an admirable record in the subcontinent, where the pitches don't provide too much assistance. In 2019 alone, Amir has picked up 44 wickets in all T20s at an economy of 7.37 in Asian conditions.

          Imad Wasim: Wasim, the Karachi skipper, provides the right balance with bat and ball. He has the ability to bowl in the Powerplay as well in the middle overs. For someone who bowls a lot early on, his economy hasn't gone beyond 6.5 in T20s in the last five years. And as a lower-order batsman, he has a healthy strike rate of 125 as well.

          Value Picks

          Sharjeel Khan: Back after a two-year ban, Sharjeel will be keen to impress from the get-go. He is someone who tonks the ball a fair distance and doesn't take too much time to settle in. Sharjeel has 11 fifties and two hundreds to his name in all T20s and strikes at 140.25 in the format.

          Point to note

          • In PSL 2019, the average Powerplay score was 57. So our advice is to stack your team with more batsmen.