Lahore Qalandars vs Peshawar Zalmi: Here is how rain would affect PSL 9 playoffs qualification

RAWALPINDI: Persistent rain in Rawalpindi and Islamabad has increased the worries in the Lahore Qalandars’ camp as in case of a washout of their match against Peshawar Zalmi on Saturday afternoon at the Pindi Stadium, the defending champions’ chances of making it to PSL 9 playoffs would diminish even further.

Forecast suggests that there will be no reprieve in rain going into Saturday morning. In all likelihood, the day match between Zalmi and Qalandars will be affected by rain.

In that case, Qalandars will get their first point. Qalandars so far have lost all their six matches, exhibiting poor form in all departments of the game, especially in the bowling department which has been considered their strongest point.

A washout on Saturday would mean that Qalandars could get a maximum of seven points from ten outings which possibly would not be enough to take them to playoffs.

Qalandars’ skipper Shaheen Afridi, who was also named as the captain of the national team ahead of the five-match away T20 series against New Zealand a few months back, is experiencing a nightmare. As a leader (both Pakistan and Qalandars), he has lost ten out of 11 matches.

For Zalmi, even one point from the expected washout in Rawalpindi would be enough to keep them alive and in the company of the top three teams on the table. From five games, Zalmi have gathered six points so far.

Team’s spearhead Babar Azam is going through a purple patch having scored a century on his way to accumulate 330 runs with a stunning average of over 82 runs per innings. Saim Ayub (175 runs) in five innings has shown glimpses of powerful stroke-making. However, he has yet to get into full bloom.