Will Zalmi play Nahid Rana in PSL 11 Final?

Nahid Rana has linked up with his Pakistan Super League (PSL) team, Peshawar Zalmi. The Bangladesh pacer was given clearance by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to play the final after initially being denied a No-Objection Certificate (NOC).

Will Zalmi tweak the winning combination?

While Nahid and fellow Bangladesh pacer Shoriful Islam were spectacular for Zalmi in the group stage, the team has done fairly well in their absence too. Ali Raza and Mohammad Basit stepped in, and both have chipped in with regular wickets. In five games for Zalmi, Basit picked up nine wickets, while Ali claimed ten, including a four-wicket haul against Karachi Kings in Lahore.

Zalmi benched Ali in the Qualifier to play Khurram Shehzad, which means if Nahid comes in, he will likely replace one of the current fast bowlers. The most probable option is Ali Raza, who resembles Nahid more closely in role, as both are right-arm pacers.

Zalmi have a selection headache

Zalmi have largely gone in with three overseas players in PSL 11. They do have a vacant slot for Nahid, but playing three specialist pacers could disrupt the deep batting lineup that has worked so well this season.

This is why leaving out Aaron Hardie for Nahid may not be ideal. Hardie’s contributions with the bat down the order add crucial balance, something that was evident in the last game when Zalmi faced a mini-collapse.

Peshawar Zalmi Probable Playing XI for PSL 11 Final:

Babar Azam (capt), Mohammad Haris, Kusal Mendis (wk), Farhan Yousaf, Michael Bracewell, Aaron Hardie, Iftikhar Ahmed, Abdul Samad, Sufyan Muqeem, Basit Ali, Khurram Shahzad/Ali Raza/Nahid Rana

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