Why is Wahab Riaz not playing today’s PSL 2022 match vs Quetta Gladiators?

Wahab Riaz not playing: The captain of Peshawar Zalmi won’t be taking the field in their season opener at the National Stadium tonight.

During the second match of the ongoing seventh season of the Pakistan Super League between Quetta Gladiators and Peshawar Zalmi in Karachi, Peshawar Zalmi stand-in captain Shoaib Malik has won the toss and chose to bowl.

“We’re playing on a new strip so we would like to assess the pitch first-up and batting second helps in that regard. Plus, the dew factor is significant in the latter half of T20 games at this venue so we prefer to bowl first,” Malik told A Sports at the toss.

Peshawar Zalmi Playing 11 – 1) Tom Kohler-Cadmore 2) Yasir Khan 3) Haider Ali 4) Shoaib Malik (c) 5) Hussain Talat 6) Sherfane Rutherford 7) Ben Cutting 8) Sohail Khan 9) Pat Brown 10) Sameen Gul 11) Usman Qadir

Why is Wahab Riaz not playing vs Quetta Gladiators?

A primary reason why Malik is leading Zalmi in place of regular captain Wahab Riaz is the latter missing their season opener due to a positive COVID-19 result. Currently isolating, it will be interesting to watch when Riaz returns to lead Peshawar in PSL 2022.

While batter Haider Ali has recovered in time to play this match at the National Stadium tonight, overseas batter Hazratullah Zazai has also been tested positive for COVID-19.

Much like the opposition players, veteran Quetta Gladiators all-rounder Shahid Afridi has also tested positive for COVID-19 and is missing this match.

Quetta Gladiators Playing 11 – 1) Will Smeed 2) Ahsan Ali 3) Ben Duckett 4) Sarfaraz Ahmed (c & wk) 5) Iftikhar Ahmed 6) Mohammad Nawaz 7) Sohail Tanvir 8) James Faulkner 9) Ashir Qureshi 10) Mohammad Hasnain 11) Naseem Shah.

Gladiators, who had last won a PSL match against Zalmi in 2019, would be keen to finish the opposition’s winning spree against them.