IU vs PZ Match Preview
The top-order batsmen have performed well for Islamabad this season with the likes of Azam Khan, Colin Munro, and Faheem Ashraf playing well throughout the season. The two big hitters in the squad, Rassie van der Dussen, and Rahmanullah Gurbaz too have chipped in with cameos to propel the team toward big totals. With Alex Hales back in the mix, Islamabad has plenty of bite in their batting line-up.
It has been a similar story in the bowling department too as rather than relying on the performance of any one player, the bowlers have chipped in across the board. The seamers have some a good job with the likes of Fazalhaq Farooqi, Hasan Ali, and Mohammad Wasim Jr all being among the wickets.
While Peshawar will be pretty happy with their batting this season, the bowling has been the biggest letdown for them. The bowlers have failed to defend 240+ scores in the last two matches and will need to come up with a different strategy here.
Saim Ayub and Babar Azam have been consistent at the top of the order for Peshawar and have given their team some excellent starts. Babar is the leading scorer for the team and has scored 4 half-centuries and a century in his 9 innings, which speaks volumes about his consistency. Mohammad Haris and Tom Kohler-Cadmore have done well in the middle order, while the presence of Rovman Powell and Haseebullah Khan adds depth to their batting.
Wahab Riaz has been the pick of the bowlers with 9 wickets in as many matches.
Weather Report
The weather is expected to remain overcast with temperatures of between 25-30 degrees Celsius.
Pitch Report
The Pindi Cricket Stadium has an excellent surface to bat on and we have seen some high-scoring encounters here over the last few weeks. The average first-inning score here in the last 5 matches has been around 210-215, and that hasn’t nearly been enough for the bowlers to defend. There is very little for the bowlers here and the spinners as well as the seamers will struggle to contain runs.
Notable stats
Saim Ayub’s Excellent Strike Rate
Playing under the shadows of Babar Azam, Saim Ayub has played well this season. He has scored 309 runs at an average of 34.33 and an excellent strike rate of 169.78.
Team News
While Azam Khan suffered an injury in the last match, he will most likely be fit to play this match.
IU vs PZ Probable 11
IU Playing 11
- Rahmanullah Gurbaz
- Alex Hales
- Colin Munro
- Azam Khan (Wk)
- Shadab Khan (C)
- Asif Ali
- Faheem Ashraf
- Mohammad Wasim Jr.
- Hasan Ali
- Mubasir Khan
- Fazalhaq Farooqi
PZ Playing 11
- Babar Azam (C)
- Saim Ayub
- Rovman Powell
- Tom Kohler-Cadmore
- Haseebullah Khan (Wk)
- Mohammad Haris
- Usman Qadir
- Azmatullah Omarzai
- Wahab Riaz
- Arshad Iqbal
- Mujeeb Ur Rahman
Dream11 Prediction
We are backing Islamabad United to win this match. They have some powerful hitters of the cricket ball, including Alex Hales and Colin Munro, who are likely to enjoy batting on the flat surface at Rawalpindi and will love to take on the below-par bowling attack of Peshawar.
Islamabad also has a better balance in their squad, with some good bowlers and that is likely to be the key differentiator here.
Top Picks
Colin Munro: Colin Munro can be a devastating batsman at the top of the order. This season, he has scored 279 runs in 9 matches at an impressive strike rate of 182.35.
Fazalhaq Farooqi: Fazalhaq Farooqi has been quite consistent with his bowling this season. While the other seamers have struggled to contain the opposition batsmen, Farooqi has picked up 9 wickets in 4 matches and has a bowling strike rate of 10.1.
Tom Kohler-Cadmore: On his day, Kohler-Cadmore can rip apart any bowling attack in the world. In his 9 outings this season, he has scored 297 runs including 3 half-centuries, and has scored them at a strike rate of 170.68.
IU vs PZ Dream11 Team 1
Keeper: R Gurbaz, M Haris
Batters: A Hales, C Munro, B Azam (C), T Kohler Cadmore, S Ayub
All-rounders: S Khan (VC), F Ashraf
Bowlers: H Ali, F Farooqi
