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ISL vs QUE injury update, key players
Islamabad United injury update, key players in PSL 2023
Islamabad United will continue to be without Zeeshan Zameer, who suffered grade 1 quad team and is expected to recover by the end of PSL.
Alex Hales fits in well as opener
Alex Hales took no time to fit into the playing 11 as he hammered 16-ball 34 to give a strong start to Islamabad in a successful high-scoring chase against Karachi. Hales replaced Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who scored 23, 8, and 62 in his last three innings before losing his spot.
Rassie van Der Dussen, whose form dipped heading into the game, could only score 22 runs off 20 balls and has now scored just 26 runs in his last three innings.
Faheem Ashraf promoted up the order
Shadab Khan finally acknowledged his poor showing with the bat and dropped himself from the middle order to put Faheem Ashraf in the position. While it is unclear if it's a permanent change in the batting line-up or just a match strategy, Ashraf made the most of it by hitting 31-ball 42 while letting Azam Khan do the good work from the other end.
Khan has been in stupendous form this season as he scored 72 not out on Friday night. The wicketkeeper-batter has maintained a high strike rate of 180, which is the highest among batters who have scored at least 50 runs this season. Adding to the worries of Quetta, he scored 97 against them in their last face-off.
Asif Ali played the role of finisher to perfection sa he slammed a four and a six off the two balls he faced to seal the win for Islamabad. However, it's hard to consider Ali as a big-point option as he hasn't really scored big in a while.
Tom Curran is another pinch-hitter option down the order and has a strike rate as high as 190.91.
Curran has been more productive with the ball as the English seamer has taken eight wickets in five games to be the franchise's top wicket-taker with pacer Hasan Ali.
Ali's presence has made United a better bowling outfit as Rumman Raees and Faheem Ashraf haven't been the leading figure while Mohammad Wasim lost the trust of his captain.
Skipper Shadab went wicketless in the last game but was economical with 21 runs in four overs while others leaked runs. The spinner has taken six wickets in as many games so far.
20-year-old Mubasir Khan was included in the squad for Abrar Ahmed, who went for 52 runs in the game before, but the off-spinner was given just one over, taking his overs count to two in three games.
Quetta Gladiators injury update, key players
Mohammad Hasnain missed the last game due to pain in his ankle and there's no update if he will be available to play on Sunday. Quetta need the pacer as things are desperate for the 2019 champions as they look set to go out of the PSL title run.
In a desperate bid to turn things around, they picked Yasir Shah as the opener after Jason Roy left for international duty. Shah contributed just 14 in the loss against Lahore.
Will Smeed found some form as he scored 25-ball 32 but Martin Guptill's form has been a headache as the batter scored an unconvincing 20-ball 15 despite changing batting position to No. 3. The Kiwi batter has scored 49 runs in the last five innings as the memory of his 117 in the first game faded.
Middle-order not playing match-winning knocks
Their Pakistan stars in Iftikhar Ahmed, Sarfaraz Ahmed, and Mohammad Hafeez haven't fired big and consistently with the bat too as Quetta continue to suffer this PSL. Hafeez scored just two in the last game while expectations of him were to consolidate his 48 from the last game.
Iftikhar Ahmed has been blowing hot and cold too as he played three 30-plus innings, including a half-century, but also failed to cross the double-figure in the remaining three knocks.
Skipper Sarfaraz, however, has scored 123 runs in the last four innings and could be worth a pick.
Mohammad Nawaz played another dismal knock of four runs and has 12 runs to his name in the last five innings while taking six wickets. His spell of 2/19 in the last game was worth appreciating too.
Toothless bowling
Among bowlers, Mohammad Hasnain missed the last game and there's no update on availability for the Islamabad tie. Hasnain has been the best bowler for Quetta this PSL with eight wickets in five games and his absence could hurt them further.
This makes Naseem Shah more important for the franchise and Quetta fans can take comfort from the fact that he bowled a decent 1/29 in the last game.
Among bowlers, Naseem Shah went for runs in the last two games by conceding 79 runs in his last eight overs.
Odean Smith also improved on his economy after going for 82 runs in the last two games as he bowled a spell of 1/27 in four overs.
Afghanistan's Naveen-Ul-Haq was handed an opportunity in the last game and he bowled a spell of 2/36 in his first spell of the PSL season while pacer Aimal Khan was dropped for conceding 52 runs in the last game.
PSL 2023: Islamabad United vs Quetta Gladiators squads
Islamabad United squad
Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Azam Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Colin Munro, Paul Stirling, Alex Hales, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abrar Ahmed, Sohaib Maqsood, Rumman Raees, Zeeshan Zamir, Hassan Nawaz, Moeen Ali (available from March 14), Mubasir Khan, Tom Curran, Zafar Gohar, Gus Atkinson (partial replacement for Rahmanullah Gurbaz), Tymal Mills (partial replacement for Alex Hales), Rassie van der Dussen (partial replacement for Moeen Ali)
Quetta Gladiators squad
Mohammad Nawaz, Iftikhar Ahmed, Jason Roy, Mohammad Hasnain, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Naveen ul Haq, Umar Akmal, Will Smeed, Wanindu Hasaranga, Naseem Shah, Odean Smith, Mohammad Hafeez, Umaid Asif, Muhammad Zahid, Abdul Bangalzai, Aimal Khan, Martin Guptill, Omair Bin Yousuf, Qais Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Dwaine Pretorius (partial replacement for Odean Smith), Will Jacks (partial replacement for Jason Roy), Nuwan Thushara (partial replacement for Naveen ul Haq)
Islamabad United vs Quetta Gladiators predicted playing XI ISL vs QUE, PSL 2023
Islamabad United predicted playing 11 vs Quetta Gladiators
Colin Munro, Shadab Khan (C), Alex Hales, Rassie va Der Dussen, Azam Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Rumman Raees, Tom Curran, Mubasir Khan, Asif Ali,
Quetta Gladiators predicted playing 11 vs Islamabad United
Sarfaraz Ahmed (C), Naveen Ul Haq, Umar Akmal, Will Smeed, Naseem Shah, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Hafeez, Odean Smith, Will Jacks, Mohammad Nawaz, Qais Ahmed
Islamabad United vs Quetta Gladiators pitch report ISL vs QUE
Rawalpindi's Pindi Stadium pitch has been a batting paradise with 400-plus scored in the last game while Islamabad United chased down 201 with four balls to spare. In the game before that, Peshawar Zalmi scored 197/5 on the surface but Quetta's out-of-form batters could only score 173/8.
ISL vs QUE Dream11 prediction Islamabad United vs Quetta Gladiators
Wicketkeeper S Ahmed, A Khan
Batsmen A Hales, I Ahmed, W Smeed, C Munro/R van der Dussen,
All-rounder S Khan, F Ashraf,
Bowler T Curran, H Ali, M Hasnain
Captain and vice-captain choices A Khan's current form makes him a favourite for the captain while A Hales has given glimpses of his form with a quickfire knock in the last game and could be a dangerman on batting belter.
