Shahid Afridi
Shahid Afridi will lead Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) Getty

Peshawar Zalmi will face Islamabad United in the third game of the inaugural Pakistan Super League (PSL) at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, on 5 February, Friday.

Where to watch

The match will start at 3.30pm GMT. Live coverage of the game is available in the UK on Prime TV.

Overview

Shahid Afridi leads Peshawar Zalmi's foray in the Pakistan Super League as they face Islamabad United in their first match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Zalmi will be depending on the all-rounder to star in what is his preferred format, while Mohammad Hafeez, Wahab Riaz and Junaid Khan are the other prominent local players in the squad. Hafeez will not be allowed to bowl and will play primarily as a batsman.

The foreign contingent includes Darren Sammy, Tamim Iqbal and Brad Hodge, all big hitters who will add a different dimension to the side. Despite the resources at their disposal, the bowling looks weak on paper, if either Junaid or Riaz or both have a bad day then Peshawar Zalmi could be in trouble.

Islamabad United go into this game already under pressure after losing to Quetta in the opening game on 4 February at Dubai. The team led by Misbah-ul-Haq were blown away on what was a slow pitch with only the captain and Andre Russell putting up a fight with the bat.

Their marquee player, Shane Watson struggled while the bowlers including Mohammad Irfan had a day to forget. Despite the loss, United go into the game as favourites and will look to kick-start their campaign. No changes are expected, with everyone fit and ready to play.

Prediction

Islamabad United to win

Team News

Islamabad United

Squad:Misbah-ul-Haq (c), Shane Watson, Mohammad Irfan, Brad Haddin, Sharjeel Khan, Imran Khalid, Kamran Ghulam, Umar Amin, Sam Billings Mohammad Sami, Khalid Latif, Babar Azam, Andre Russell, Samuel Badree, Rumman Raees, Amad Butt, Saeed Ajmal, Hussain Talat Ashar Zaidi, Umar Siddiq

Peshawar Zalmi

Squad: Shahid Afridi (c), Wahab Riaz, Darren Sammy, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Hafeez, Chris Jordan, Tamim Iqbal, Junaid Khan, James Allenby, Shaun Tait, Aamer Yamin, Dawid Malan, Imran Khan, Shahid Yousuf, Abdur Rehman, Musadiq Ahmed Ali, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Asghar, Brad Hodge, Israrullah, Taj Wali