Quetta Gladiators finished as runners-up in both prior editions of the Pakistan Super League; can they go a step forward in 2018 and win the trophy in Karachi on 25th March?

By Uman Naq (16th February, 2018)

Quetta Gladiators began both seasons of the PSL as underdogs but surprisingly, for most of the fans, they have been the most consistent team of PSL so far, going on to reach finals in both editions albeit finishing as runners-up both times. In both seasons, Quetta never had a team that could impress a T20 fan; apart from Kevin Pieterson, the star attraction of Quetta and perhaps captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, the team never boasted of any fan favourite T20 players.

Quetta's main key to success has been Sarfaraz Ahmed, a captain with a never say die attitude, as well as a person who is admired by the whole team, Sir Vivian Richards, a mentor who is as much in the game as the players themselves. Sarfaraz Ahmed's decisions have been crucial and he has always led the team upfront in times of crisis. He has played some very fine knocks in the lower middle order; his innings of 45 off just 25 balls against Lahore Qalandars last season was crucial in ensuring that his team chased down a total of 202 runs. Viv has been hailed as a motivator, mentor and even a fatherly figure by the players; the combination of Viv and head coach Moin Khan has worked very well for Quetta Gladiators.

Quetta's main problem will be their top order - They will be without the services of Ahmed Shehzad, highest run scorer of PSL (2 seasons combined) after they chose not to retain him. Although Asad Shafiq has played some fine innings as an opener, his lack of ability to accelerate at key moments has been a problem. With Jason Roy set to miss a number of matches due to international commitments, Quetta will need to work on their top order problems. Sarfaraz Ahmed can be a good option as an opener alongside Asad Shafiq but his reluctance to open during first two seasons means that it is very unlikely to happen. It will be interesting if Quetta go with Saud Shakeel as their opener; the classy left-hander has been brilliant in domestic cricket this season although his success has came in middle order. Quetta have one of the strongest middle-orders among the PSL teams, with Rilee Rossouw who played a major part in Quetta's road to final last time alongside players like Kevin Pieterson, Sarfaraz Ahmad, Mahmudullah Riyad and Saud Shakeel forming a very strong and packed middle order.

Quetta's lower order has been a disappointment in both seasons with players like Anwar Ali, Mohammad Nawaz and Thisara Perera not performing to expectations and this is something Quetta need to ponder on. Anwar Ali has disappointed in both seasons so far; for a player who was regarded as one of the best upcoming pace all-rounders, Anwar has disappointed his fans as he hasn't been able to replicate that fire in his batting which we saw when he smashed a 16 ball 47 against Sri Lanka and single-handedly took his team home. Although he has bowled some fine spells. his bowling too hasn't been that threatening for the batsmen - This edition is a chance for Anwar to show that he still possesses that firepower in him and has the ability to be a match winner for his team. The inclusion of Thisara Perera last season looked like a step in right direction but Perera wasn't able to perform at the death either, with bat or ball. Mohammad Nawaz has been without any doubt Quetta's best bowler across the two seasons and also played a few good innings with the bat in first season. However, the performances with the bat were something which went missing in the second season which meant that Nawaz had no permanent position in the batting order. Their lower-order problems were highlighted by the fact that Quetta Gladiators were unable to chase 5 runs off the last over against Islamabad United with batsmen like Rossouw and Anwar at the crease. Quetta will hope for a better show from their lower order this time around and with the inclusion of Jofra Archer, things look somewhat better.

In both the seasons of PSL, Gladiators' biggest strength has been their spinners. Mohammad Nawaz and Zulfiqar Babar have led the bowling and Hassan Khan and Mahmudullah have also been crucial to their success. The inclusion of one the best T20 spinners in the form of Rashid Khan will strengthen the spin department even more. With World Cup Qualifiers taking place in March, Rashid Khan will only be available for the first few games and will be replaced by Chris Green, another talented off-spinner, for the remainder of the tournament which means that Quetta's spinners will once again pose serious challenges to the batsmen.

Quetta's fast bowlers though have been a disappointment; despite having one of the finest T20 bowlers in Tymal Mills last season 
alongside the experienced Umar Gul, who unfortunately had to miss out without playing much because of injury, Quetta's fast bowlers have been average at best. Pace bowlers like Anwar Ali, Thisara Perera and Mir Hamza haven't been able to challenge batsmen consistently. Quetta haven't had the fast bowlers in both the previous editions and that looked likely to continue this season as well, until the replacement draft which proved to be a blessing in disguise. The inclusion of Jofra Archer, a player who has taken the world of T20 by storm because of his pace bowling, regularly hitting 90 mph combined with his acrobatic fielding and fine pinch hitting will be a huge boost for the Gladiators. Ben Laughlin, BBL's all-time leading wicket-taker and his Australian compatriot John Hastings have also strengthened the pace stocks of Gladiators. Hastings and Laughlin are experienced T20 campaigners and will need to step up and perform in order to see their team chasing glory. However, what surprised many was the inclusion of Rahat Ali in the gold category as he hasn't been able to make his mark as a limited-overs bowler; it will be interesting to see how he performs if given a chance.

Saud Shakeel has been a great inclusion to Quetta Gladiators and has added variety to the squad. It will noteworthy as to where Sarfaraz would like Saud to bat; opening with him is an option and a good one. Saud will bring another asset to the team with his spin bowling and it is likely to play a crucial role considering the slowness of pitches in UAE.

T20 is a game of experiments and in both the editions of PSL, the management of Quetta Gladiators and captain Sarfaraz Ahmed have shown reluctance in experimenting. The continuous selection of some players despite under-performing and reluctance to try something new has been a major problem for Quetta. Sarfaraz has been happy with the same batting order over a number of games and introducing spinners early on has been a constant strategy which at times has gone on to become a reason for their failures. Therefore, experimenting with the line-up and strategies is much needed in order to ensure that they don't fall short for the third time in a row.

Like the last two seasons, Quetta once again have a good blend of young, emerging and experienced players and under the supervision of Viv Richards and Moin Khan, Gladiators will be aiming for glory this time around although once again they will start the tournament as underdogs. Their team may not be the strongest but the same applied during the last two seasons, yet their determination and confidence led them to be amongst the best and they will hope for that to continue.

Prediction: Although it might seem strange, Quetta might end up as runners-up once again!

Players to watch: The PSL gives a perfect platform for Saud Shakeel to show that he can perform on the big stage. A good season here will see him come into contention for national team selection.

Jofra Archer will also be a player to watch out for - He has enjoyed a lot of success in England and Australia but it will be interesting to see how he copes with the slowness of UAE pitches which are considered graveyards for fast bowlers. 

Quetta Gladiators Squad for PSL 2018: Sarfaraz Ahmed (c), Kevin Pietersen, Shane Watson, Rilee Rossouw, Mahmudullah, Jofra Archer, Asad Shafiq, Mohammad Nawaz, Rahat Ali, Anwar Ali, Mir Hamza, Umar Amin, Rameez Raja jr., Saad Ali, Saud Shakeel, Hasan Khan, Mohammad Junaid.

Supplementary: Jason Roy, Rashid Khan, Mohammad Azam Khan, Faraz Ahmed.

Cover: John Hastings for Mahmudullah, Albie Morkel for Jason Roy, Chris Green for Rashid Khan, Ben Laughlin for Jofra Archer.

Discuss!