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Cricket: Peshawar and Islamabad to clash in PSL opener in Dubai

Dubai - Islamabad United embark on their title defence against one of the most popular teams in the PSL - the Peshawar Zalmis

Lahore is still a long way off for Islamabad and Peshawar but both the provinces will be eager to take their first step towards that when a bigger and better HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) bowls off in Dubai on Thursday night.
Islamabad United embark on their title defence against one of the most popular teams in the PSL - the Peshawar Zalmis, with the two teams getting the second edition of Pakistan's own T20 League off to a start at the 'Ring of Fire' - the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
A colourful opening ceremony precedes the opener with Jamaican reggae star Shaggy as well as other Pakistani singers set to rock what should be a sell-out crowd. And there will no dearth of stars with some headlining names from Islamabad United and Peshawar Zalmi putting their skills into play to go first up on the board.
Islamabad United couldn't have anyone better at the helm than that calming figure called Misbah-ul-Haq. The beard might be greying on the veteran warhorse but the 42-year-old is looking at another tilt here before he makes the decision on his Test future.
He anchors a side which may be called a 'veterans united,' going by the names that make up the squad. There are Australians Shane Watson and Brad Haddin, West Indian Samuel Badree, as well as Pakistan's very own Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Sami, who are all closing in on 40. But then, the plethora of experience that these men bring cannot be matched.
One man they would be missing is Andre Russell, the leading wicket-taker in the first edition, with the West Indian suspended because of a doping violation. England's Steven Finn would hope to fill those boots after being picked as his replacement.
It was a bit of a slow-burner start for Islamabad United before they stoked the flames as the tournament headed towards the business end. Misbah's men had lost four of the first six fixtures before bouncing back. They would be hoping for a better start this time with the end result being the same.
Meanwhile, Peshawar Zalmi have had a change at the top with Shahid Afridi handing the baton of captaincy to West Indian Darren Sammy. And Sammy, who skippered the West Indies to the World T20 in India last year, hopes he can inspire this team to the PSL title.
The Zalmis have a solid squad as well with the likes of England limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan, Tillakaratne Dilshan, who has come in for Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan, Wahab Riaz and Mohammad Hafeez, to name just a few.
So, a cracking start lays in wait on the morrow.
james@khaleejtimes.com