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Lewis Gregory

Team flagENG31 yrs
batting styleAll Rounder
Moeen Ali & Livingstone Shine As Birmingham Phoenix Outgun Trent Rockets by 7 Wickets

Shivani Shukla ∙ 16 Aug 2022

Moeen Ali & Livingstone Shine As Birmingham Phoenix Outgun Trent Rockets by 7 Wickets

Stupendous fifties from Moeen Ali and Liam Livingstone took Birmingham Phoenix over the line.

T20 Blast | ESS vs SOM | Preview, Prediction, Probable XI, CREX XI

Shivani Shukla ∙ 19 June 2022

T20 Blast | ESS vs SOM | Preview, Prediction, Probable XI, CREX XI

The Essex Eagles are currently placed third in the South Group points tally, with 5 wins from 9 games. They are heading into this game on the back of a thumping 11 runs victory over Sussex.

T20 Blast 2022 | From Daniel Sam's match-winning storm to Sunil Narine's all-round show, a glance at the Southern group

Kaushik Kashyap ∙ 18 June 2022

T20 Blast 2022 | From Daniel Sam's match-winning storm to Sunil Narine's all-round show, a glance at the Southern group

But the arrival of Daniel Sams made the situation even worse for the Sharks, as the Australian continued the onslaught of Sussex bowling. Sams took on Tymal Mills for 29 in an over and guided Essex Eagles to their highest ever total of 244 for 7. The hosts scored 76 in the last four overs, with Daniel Sams finishing at 71 off 24.

The Hundred | Trent Rockets vs Northern Superchargers: Where to watch Live, Probable XI, Fantasy XI

Abhishek Singh ∙ 25 July 2021

The Hundred | Trent Rockets vs Northern Superchargers: Where to watch Live, Probable XI, Fantasy XI

The Hundred has been dishing out some outstanding games ever since its beginning. The concept is ultra-cool. It’s very real and every game is going down to the wire. Adding to this flavour would be the Trent Rockets once again when they welcome the Superchargers from up north. The Rockets won their last game courtesy of some extraordinary bowling from the merchant of pace Marchant de Lange. The South African registered his name in the record books for being the first person in the history of The Hundred to pick a five-wicket haul. Their batsmen were equally up to the mark and saw off an easy challenge from Southern Brave very easily. The men from Headingley though would be disappointed with the result in their first game at home. Requiring 11 from the last five balls, a settled pair of Brydon Carse and Matthew Pots weren’t able to get them to the finish line. However, this match is going to be different and although ‘the North remembers’, here, Ben Stokes’ men would like to forget the last one and try and not give the Rockets a perfect landing neither a perfect take-off. The Rockets on their part would go for the kill having conquered South, North shan’t remain so far from them. Trent Rockets vs Northern Superchargers: Match Details Match Number- 07 Date and Time: Jul 26, 2021, 11:00:00 pm IST, 06:30 pm Local Venue: Trent Bridge, Nottingham Live Stream: Fancode Pitch Report The wicket offered nice bounce and carry and there was juice in it for the bowlers and was utilised to its core by De Lange. At the same time, the batters from the Rockets showed that if there is a proper application of skills, scoring runs isn’t that hard on that wicket either. Weather Forecast The Hundred has already witnessed a whitewash of the Men’s game between London Spirit and Oval Invincibles at Lord’s and hence the weather forecast becomes very important. However, this game has nothing to worry about as the chances of precipitation remain below five and the temperatures would be in the mid and low 20s giving a perfect game of cricket at Trent Bridge. Trent Rockets Probable XI Alex Hales, D Arcy Short, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Tom Moores (wk), Lewis Gregory (c), Steven Mullaney, Samit Patel, Rashid Khan, Luke Wood, Marchant de Lange Northern Superchargers Probable XI Adam Lyth, Chris Lynn, Ben Stokes (c), Harry Brook, David Willey, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, John Simpson (wk), Brydon Carse, Matty Potts, Adil Rashid, Mujeeb Ur Rahman Fantasy XI Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Alex Hales, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Harry Brook, Lewis Gregory, Rashid Khan, Adil Rashid, Brydon Carse, Marchant de Lange Captain Ben Stokes Vice-Captain Rashid Khan

The Hundred | Team Preview: Trent Rockets hope Gregory, Nat Sciver fly them to the inaugural Championship win

Abhishek Singh ∙ 20 July 2021

The Hundred | Team Preview: Trent Rockets hope Gregory, Nat Sciver fly them to the inaugural Championship win

The Hundred is going to be a work in progress in its first season and as an ambitious idea of the England Wales Cricket Board, it might as well be the International Cricket Council’s pitch to finally get that all-important Olympic Berthg it has been looking for over 100 years now. But all that has to be saved for later as currently, it’s the start of a new chapter in cricketing history and eight teams get to be a part of that history. One of them is Trent Rockets. The Rockets’ Men’s side on paper looks like a champion unit already with the presence of proven T20 stars like Rashid Khan, Alex Hales, Luke Wright and Dawid Malan. Lewis Gregory in the form of captain and added to it his recent form could turn out to be game-changing as well. Along with all these stars, the Rockets would have the experience of a Trent Bridge hero for many years now, Samit Patel and English Test captain Joe Root (in the initial phase and end phase, if it reaches the final four) to guide them through the thicks and thins of this mad roller coaster. Men's Squad Captain- Lewis Gregory Joe Root, Alex Hales, Rashid Khan (Afghanistan), D'Arcy Short (Australia), Marchant de Lange (South Africa), Matt Carter, Dawid Malan, Tom Moores, Steven Mullaney, Ben Cox, Luke Wood, Luke Wright, Samit Patel, Timm van der Gugten, Sam Cook Coach: Andy Flower Batting: The strong suit of Rockets Without a doubt, batting seems to be the strongest suit of the Rockets with the presence of the likes of Malan and Hales at the top. D’Arcy Short the Aussie batter has shown over years in the Big Bash League how dangerous he could be at the top order. Between them, the three have got experience of more than 700 T20I games and Short and Malan played together in the BBL for Hobart Hurricanes last year as well. The 32-year-old Hales, even after being continuously ignored by the English selectors has not given up on his ambitions to keep piling up rains and making a case for himself for the upcoming T20 World Cup in UAE and Oman. He has more than 8000 T20 runs and a good recent form in the T20 Blast to make sure that he goes into The Hundred as Rockets’ best bet with the bat. For Malan, it is going to be a litmus test before the World Cup in October- November this year as he has not been in great T20 form recently. The number one ranked T20I batter has only one double-figure score in his last five T20I innings. And his recent inability to rotate the strike in his initial few deliveries is working against him as well. Along with these three hitters at the top, the Rockets have only Joe Root as a specialist batter, rest others including Patel, Wright, Ben Cox and Gregory are batters who can bowl or bowlers who can bowl, hence the top three has a lot riding on them. Rashid Magic: The mainstay of a weak bowling lineup When there is Rashid Khan in your squad, you kind of forget if you really need many more bowlers. This seems to have happened with the Rockets as well. With Wahab Riaz, the Pakistan quick being sent back for visa and work permit related issues, the bowling attack for the men in Yellow and Black looks a bit thinly spread as compared to other teams in the tournament. To help Rashid out, there would be the spin from the wily old fox Patel who is more than good enough with his left-arm orthodox. The pace bowling department has the merchant of pace literally having signed the tall South African Merchant de Lange as Riaz’s replacement. The 30-year-old almost seven-foot-tall pacer has 112 T20s under his bags and has been plying his trade in the T20 Blast for Somerset. A heap of all-rounders: The X factor of Rockets Gregory, Patel, Rashid, Wright, Short, Root, Steven Mullaney, Timm van der Gugten and Luke Wood- A total of eight players out of the sixteen in the Rockets squad are such who have the reputation and ability to be able to both bat and ball in the shortest format. With such huge resource back up in terms of all-rounders, the Rockets would look to make it their x-factor going into The Hundred. The T20 format requires such multidimensional players and they chrome in handy as well, especially in a format like Hundred, where a bowler is required to ball just five balls only. Chances of a shot at the title The Rockets are a team with a lot of talent and apart from Root, they are unlikely to lose players due to international assignments and hence look like a unit that will stay together throughout the course of the tournament. And as they say, a team that says together wins together. The T20 franchise experience of winnings titles of players like Rashid Khan, Samit Patel, Luke Wright and Alex Hales could give the side from Trent Bridge a real chance at winning the title by being stable throughout their campaign. Probable XI Alex Hales, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Samit Patel, Luke Wright, Ben Cox (wk), Lewis Gregory (Captain), Rashid Khan, Timm van der Gugten, Sam Cook, Marchant de Lange Rockets Women's banking on local stars The presence of Nat Sciver, the number one T20I all-rounder in the Women’s game and England all formats vice-captain alongside the experience of Katherine Brunt will be central to the success of the Rockets Women’s side. Both these players are match-winners on their day and with a combined experience of 178 T20Is and 159 T20I wickets, they will hold the bowling lineup and also play the part in run-rate acceleration as both are key big hitters. Along with these two, other English stars include leggie Sarah Glenn, Scottish Katherine Bryce and Ella Claridge. Glenn, who was although taken for a lot of runs by the Indian Women’s team recently in the three-match T20I series, but is more than capable enough of fishing in the deep ponds against non-spin friendly batters. As far as the Edinburgh born Bryce, who is playing as a local player, is dynamite and more of the sport of Brunt like. She can bowl greatly and has been in a good form for Labrough Lightning in the Rachael Hay-Hoe Flint and Charlotte Edwards Trophy. Claridge is more of an opening batter and could do well batting with Preist as an anchor. Women's Squad Captain- Nat Sciver Katherine Brunt, Rachel Priest (New Zealand), Sammy-Jo Johnson (Australia), Heather Graham (Australia), Kathryn Bryce, Abigail Freeborn, Nancy Harman, Lucy Higham, Ella Claridge, Emily Windsor, Teresa Graves, Michaela Kirk, Sarah Glenn, Alicia Presland Coach: Salliann Beams Rachel Preist spearheads foreign signings Rachel Priest from New Zealand, Sammy-Jo Johnson from Australia and Michaela Louise Kirk from South Africa are the three foreign signings for Rockets after a lot of Australian and Kiwi stars pulled out citing the Covid-19 barriers. All three of them give different perspectives to the team. While Preuirts, 36, is a more than good enough experienced player and has proven her mettle with both the bat and the gloves in her 162 international games, having scored more than 2500 runs and caused 165 dismissals behind the stumps. As far as Jo Johnson and Kirk are concerned, they both are young and haven’t had international exposure as of now. Jo Johnson as a bowler has had a decent ODI season with New South Wales Women and with a fifty under her belt, she can come good with lower-order hitting as well. Kirk has had a decent enough season with the Loughborough unit in the UK as well. Shot at the Championship With an experienced side mostly, the Trent Roixckets Women’s might not be given an upper hand of even finishing in the Top four let alone winning. But if they are really to achieve something, five players in Sciver, Brunt, Priest, Glenn and Bryce need to put up their hands and find decent support from others like Jo Johnson and Kirk to be able to pull off a surprise. Probable XI Rachel Priest (wk), Ella Claridge, Nat Sciver (captain), Abigail Freeborn, Kathryn Bryce, Michaela Kirk, Katherine Brunt, Sammy-Jo Johnson, Sarah Glenn, Alicia Presland, Nancy Harman

With an eye on World T20, Morgan willing to explore 'strength in depth' against Pakistan

Mayank Kumar ∙ 16 July 2021

With an eye on World T20, Morgan willing to explore 'strength in depth' against Pakistan

England have already established and showcased enormous depth in their white-ball set up by thrashing a full-strength Pakistan 3-0 in the just-concluded ODI series. The hosts had to field a completely new side in wake of the Covid-19 crisis in the camp that found all first-choice players in close contact. It opened windows of opportunity for fringer players to showcase their offerings to the team management in absence of big players. Players such as Lewis Gregory, Brydon Carse, Saqib Mahmood took their opportunities with both hands and showed they can be as good as England have sought at the international level. Now, even as all those big guns including the skipper Eoin Morgan are set to return in the T20 series after serving a period of isolation, the trend of providing opportunities to fringer players is set to be continued. In the pres-series presser, Morgan asserted that the team management is willing to explore more options to understand the ‘strength in depth’ leading up to the ICC World T20 later this year in UAE. Morgan called the series against Pakistan as the last stop of trying people at various positions and roles in order to come at the best possible conclusion before selecting squad for the big event. “Knowing what is ahead, we need to look a little bit more into strength in depth. You’ll see us giving opportunities and going through various little options in the next three games for possible injury replacements for certain players. The priority will be to give guys opportunities and we’ll be treating it as though it is our last chance to look at guys in various positions,” Morgan said. There will be no dearth of opportunities for players as well with the likes of Ben Stokes, who will manage his finger injury, Chris Woakes and Sam Curran going away from the T20 set up to prepare for the Test series against India. Morgan hailed the players for stepping up in the hour of need against Pakistan and said that the brand of cricket England have employed in the aftermath of a disastrous world cup campaign in 2015 is now being fully embraced by the players in domestic cricket. “Guys recognise that opportunities are few and far between. But when they do come in, the method the team plays is starting to resonate with people around the country, which is great,” Morgan added. The three-match long T20 series between England and Pakistan will start tonight in Nottingham with the other two scheduled to take place on July 18 and July 20.

ENG vs PAK | 2nd ODI: Hasan Ali bags five-wicket haul, registers name on Lord's Honours Board

Mayank Kumar ∙ 10 July 2021

ENG vs PAK | 2nd ODI: Hasan Ali bags five-wicket haul, registers name on Lord's Honours Board

Pacer Hasan Ali bagged a five-wicket haul in the second ODI of the series against England and registered his name onto the Lord’s Honours Board. England were rocked early as Dawid Malan was dismissed driving on the up against Ali and Shaheen Shah Afridi yorked Zak Crawley with an absolute peach. Ali then came back to dismiss Ben Stokes and John Simpson to leave England trailing behind a long way in the game, and put the hosts on the brink with the wicket of Craig Overton. Ultimately, he dismissed Saqib Mahmood to reach the five-wicket haul landmark and wrap up England innings at 247. Pakistan are trailing 0-1 behind in the sthree-match long ODI series and skipper Babar Azam would be disappointed letting England go off the hook after an impressive start with the ball. Other two pacers such as Haris Rauf and all-rounder Faheem Ashraf struggled for accuracy and provided ample amount of loose delivery for England batsmen to cash in on an overcast day in London. Phil Salt went berserk with the bat and top scored at 60 runs but his dismissal derailed England’s momentum in the middle phase of the game. James Vince made good use of the opportunity with a splendid half century but he too failed to convert it into a big innings. England escaped a collapse as Lewis Gregory and Brydon Carse stitched a valuable 69 runs partnership for the eight wicket.

Somerset's Jack Brooks replaces Lewis Gregory to become first Covid-19 substitute in county cricket

Mayank Kumar ∙ 1 May 2021

Somerset's Jack Brooks replaces Lewis Gregory to become first Covid-19 substitute in county cricket

Somerset seamer Jack Brooks has become the first Covid-19 substitute in the County Cricket replacing Lewis Gregory from the Somerset playing XI in the ongoing championship match against Middlesex in Taunton. Announcing what transpired the exclusion of Lewis Gregory, the Somerset Cricket Club has said that a member of Gregory’s private bubble has undergone a test following he was felt unwell in the morning. Although the test returned a negative result, Gregory will have to continue in isolation till the further rounds of testing rule out Covid-19 in his associate. “A member of Lewis Gregory's private bubble was feeling unwell this morning and has taken a lateral flow test. This test proved to be negative, but protocol dictates that until the results of a further test have been received, Lewis will remain in isolation as per Government guidelines,” Somerset said in its statement. Lewis Gregory picked up two wickets in the first innings of the Middlesex side and Brooks’ name as the Covid-19 substitute was approved by the match referee Wayne Noon. Notably, Gregory had himself contracted Covid-19 earlier this year while representing Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League which was later postponed on the account of rising Covid1-9 cases in bubbles of teams.

PSL 6: Winless Quetta’ fight for survival face Islamabad hurdle

Abhishek Singh ∙ 28 Feb 2021

PSL 6: Winless Quetta’ fight for survival face Islamabad hurdle

Sarfaraz Ahmed might have shown all his emotions on the field. He might have played brilliantly with the bat. But all this has still not been able to get his team to win as bowlers have faltered continuously to let down the skipper. Another thing that has not gone in favour of Sarfaraz is that he hasn’t been able to win even a single toss in the tournament so far. Now that his team face Islamabad United, who faced their first defeat in the PSL in their last game against Peshawar Zalmi, all these things need to fall in place for the Gladiators. While this is going to be their first clash in the PSL this year, over the years, Quetta have dominated the side from the capital. In their last six meetings, the men in purple have defeated the Sherus from Islamabad five times including in their last meeting in PSL 2020. However this year Quetta haven’t looked in their own, giving an opportunity for Islamabad to fight back and improve their records. Quetta in search of sense to put in their bowlers' head Apart from the team batting second winning the game, the other thing that has been consistent in PSL 6 is Quetta bowlers their head in the death overs. The suggestion of changing the bowlers wouldn’t do much good either as almost all the bowlers have had the same fate in the death. Only a calm talk with them by the management alongside the skipper Sarafarz can do some magic. Some calmness needs to be put through Sarafaraz’ head as well. He seems to lose his calm very early in the game and goes all animated disturbing the bowler’s frame of mind. He too needs to calm down and like a good captain, get a plan made in the dressing room and try to execute it on the field instead of haplessly shouting at the troops. Few changes would most likely be seen in the Quetta fold with Usman Shinwari making way for Naseem Shah and Tom Banton making a comeback. Islamabad searching form for skipper Shadab Khan The skipper of United, Shadab Khan really hasn’t found form in this edition, either with the bat or with the ball. Primarily a bowling all-rounder, Shadan has been batting up the order in this season, albeit without much success as he has only scored 11 runs in the last three innings. Bowling wise too he has had only had one wicket in three games so far. Once he is in form, most of the problems that Islamabad has been facing in batting, prominent being nobody being able to bat responsibly after Alex Hales’ departure would most likely be solved. The introduction of Fawad Ahmed and Paul Stirling didn’t work out in the last game and if Gregory regains fitness before this game, he would most likely be back in place of Fawad to add more balance to the batting unit. Islamabad United vs Quetta Gladiators: Match Details Match Number- 12 Date and Time: 01 March 2021, 07:30 pm IST, 07:00 pm PST, 02:00 pm GMT Venue: National Stadium Karachi Broadcast and Live Stream: Sony SIX, Sony LIV Pitch Report The pitch for this game would be the same as used in the Karachi vs Lahore game and thus it might be a bit on the slower side, at least for the first few overs of the first innings. Later on, with dew settling in, the ball would start coming on to the bat nicely and it would soon turn into a graveyard fo the bowlers as the NSK has always been. Weather and Toss Karachi leg of the PSL has been fortunate enough to have ideal weather for playing cricket. The temperatures, even during day games, have generally been in the low thirties and high twenties. There is dew no doubt, but apart from that, with no rain and no heatwave, it has helped viewers enjoying to their fullest. The weather is likely to remain the same in this game as well. As far as Toss is concerned, the skipper winning the toss would do the same that he has been doing for the past 11 games, bowl first. Probable XI Islamabad United Philip Salt (wk), Alex Hales, Paul Stirling, Shadab Khan (c), Faheem Ashraf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Asif Ali, Hussain Talat, Fawad Ahmed/ Lewis Gregory, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jr Quetta Gladiators Faf du Plessis, Sarfaraz Ahmed (c & wk), Tom Banton, Azam Khan, Saim Ayub, Ben Cutting, Mohammad Nawaz, Zahid Mahmood, Dale Steyn, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah Dream XI / Fantasy XI Sarfaraz Ahmed (vc & wk), Asif Ali, Alex Hales (c) Faf du Plessis, Mohammad Nawaz, Ben Cutting, Faheem Ashraf, Lewis Gregory, Zahid Mahmood, Dale Steyn, Hasan Ali

PSL 6:  On the move Islamabad face Peshawar in top of the table clash

Abhishek Singh ∙ 26 Feb 2021

PSL 6: On the move Islamabad face Peshawar in top of the table clash

Peshwar Zalmi after winning two back to back thrillers have emoved to the second position in the Points table displacing Lahore Qlanadrs to the third. But above them are Islamabad United who are still the only unbeaten side in the Pakistan Super League so far. The two teams will come face to face at top of the table clash when they meet at each other in the second game of the double header’s day in Karachi. While Islamabad seem to have patented the art of coming back from behind and getting partnership in the middle order to chase down any total, Peshwar too have built a rapport in chasing down totals. It would therefore be interesting to see if any of them could break the eight-match streak of not being able to defend a total in PSL. All-rounders hold key for Islamabad Although it has been two Englishmen in Alex Hales and Lewis Gregory who have led United to victory in the last two games, the team is more or less dependent on the all-rounders that it has got plenty in number. Be it Shadab Khan the skipper, Faheem Ashraf, Lewis Gregory, Hasan Ali or Iftikhar Ahmed, the availability of these many players with the dual ability to ball and bat pushes the management to try different combinations. The form of the middle order is another plus point for the team from the capital enjoys ahead of the all-important clash. The Sherus as they are called would be wagging their tails to give it a go against their strongest opponent so far. The likes of Alex Hales, Asif Ali and Hussain Talat would be rubbing their hands to get on to the field and showcase their class as they did against the Karachi Kings. United are also the only team in the tournament so far to play with just three foreigners instead of four allotted in the quota, indicating how much belief they have in their homegrown talent. Peshawar to take inspiration from the last two wins When everyone thought that it was over for the Zalmi, someone or the other always rose to the occasion, guiding the team home, be it Haider Ali or Sherfane Rutherford or senior pro, Shoiab Malik. Even Wahab Riaz rescued the ship with his bat in an unexpected scenario. It is this belief of the team in its players that has been sailing it through all hurdles. But now, this game is going to be a proper battle of the batting prowess of both teams. But usually, such situations bring the best out of the less fancied trade and hence bowling could turn out to be a handy option for the Zalmi if they bowl on the right lengths. Peshawar Zalmi vs Islamabad United: Match Details Match Number- 10 Date and Time: 27th Feb, 07:30 pm IST, 07:00 pm Local, 02:00 pm GMT Venue: National Stadium, Karachi Broadcast and Live Stream: Sony SIX, Sony LIV Pitch Report The same pitch on which the game would have been played in the afternoon would be used for the evening game too. Hence it would most likely be a bit dry wicket early on in the game. But as time would pass, dew would settle in on the ground, making it a flat deck and batting heaven. Weather Update The Karachi weather in the evening is supposed to remain calm with temperatures ranging between 28-24 degrees celsius. In such weather with dew settling in, the captains would be motivated to field first after winning the toss. Probable XI Peshawar Zalmi Kamran Akmal (wk), Imam-ul-Haq, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Shoaib Malik, Haider Ali, Sherfane Rutherford, Wahab Riaz (c), Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Saqib Mahmood, Mohammad Imran, Mohammad Irfan Islamabad United Philip Salt (wk), Alex Hales, Shadab Khan (c), Hussain Talat, Asif Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Lewis Gregory, Faheem Ashraf, Zafar Gohar, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jr Dream XI / Fantasy XI Alex Hales (c), Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Shoaib Malik, Haider Ali (vc), Sherfane Rutherford, Lewis Gregory, Faheem Ashraf, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Saqib Mahmood, Hasan Ali

PSL 6: Formidable Kings up against challenging Islamabad for early-season bragging rights clash

Abhishek Singh ∙ 23 Feb 2021

PSL 6: Formidable Kings up against challenging Islamabad for early-season bragging rights clash

The Karachi Kings started their season in a brilliant fashion humiliating Quetta Gladiators by seven wickets with more than 37 balls remaining. In their second game, they will be up against an Islamabad United side which proved Pundits wrong to win a game from being seven wickets down and still needing 34 runs off the last four overs. In this game, the two teams, one supremely talented on paper and one gritty to the core will battle it out for early-season bragging rights. This game is also interesting in the sense that Babar Azam, the current skipper of the Pakistan national t20 side will be up against a probable contender for that post in Shadab Khan, the skipper of Islamabad United. Kings look to continue the winning momentum Babar, the prominent stars of Kings hasn’t been in a good nick for quite some time. He failed big time against South Africa in both the limited-overs as well as the Tests, not being able to score even a single hundred in seven innings. Apart from his form, the team looks impeccable with both bowlers and batsmen firing in tandem. Sharjeel Khan is another concern. But looking at his form in the domestic circuit off late, sooner or later he will be the vintage Sharjeel who takes the bowlers to cleaners with the sword in his hand. All eyes would also be on all-rounder Arshad Iqbal who was supremely good with the ball, picking three wickets in the lat game. United to go for course correction in batting Hussain Talat, Asif Ali and Phil Salt, the batsmen who are looked up to by their team to give them a quick and formidable start. Alex Hales was still good and was done by a quick flipper Shahid Afridi. But it is these batsmen along with skipper Shadab himself who need to get going if United are to challenge the might of the Karachi team. Lewis Gregory is a big plus point for the United, being effective both the bat and ball. He needs to bat a bit up the order to be able to fully utilise the deliveries. Apart from their batting, Islamabad also needs to give more overs to Zafar Gohar if they are playing him as a bowling all-rounder. The left-arm spinner bowled only a single over in the last game. Karachi Kings vs Islamabad United: Match Details Match Number- 06 Venue- National Stadium, Karachi Date and Time: 24th February, 07:30 pm IST, 07:00 pm Local, 02:00 pm GMT Broadcast and Live Stream: Sony Ten and Sony LIV Pitch Report In the last five games, three different pitches have been used and all of them have been true wickets, offering plenty of runs to the batsmen if they are able to time the ball, as was exemplified by Mohammad Hafeez in the Quetta vs Lahore match. If bowlers are able to pitch the ball in the right areas, they too are getting the purchase off the wicket. This match would most likely have a new pitch as well. But it would also most likely be a true wicket, a feature of the National Stadium at Karachi. Weather and Toss The Karachi weather seems to have no surprises for guessing as clear skies will be the order of the day. Just like clear skies, dew will also remain a constant forcing skippers to take the field after winning the toss. Probable XIs Karachi Kings Babar Azam, Sharjeel Khan, Joe Clarke (wk), Colin Ingram, Mohammad Nabi, Daniel Christian, Imad Wasim (c), Aamer Yamin, Mohammad Amir, Waqas Maqsood, Arshad Iqbal Islamabad United Alex Hales, Philip Salt (wk), Shadab Khan (c), Hussain Talat, Asif Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Lewis Gregory, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Zafar Gohar, Mohammad Wasim Jr Dream XI / Fantasy XI Alex Hales (vc), Babar Azam (c), Joe Clarke (wk), Asif Ali, Mohammad Nabi, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Arshad Iqbal, Mohammad Amir, Waqas Maqsood