Cricket

Multan Sultans picked up a valuable and unexpected win over Islamabad United but face a tough test here against the unbeaten Quetta Gladiators. With some of their key batsmen still unavailable, the Sultans were able to topple Islamabad thanks to a solid display by their bowlers.

Ireland come from a quadrangular series in Oman where they played reasonably well to warm up for this series against Afghanistan but there are a number of factors against them here.

With the Test series behind them, England and the West Indies turn their attention to the ODI format with in a five-match series. The tourists will be hoping for more consistent performances in the 50-over format in what can only be described as a poor Test series despite their win in the final game.

Despite coming into the series with hopes of causing a shock, Bangladesh have been unable to live with New Zealand in what has been a very one-sided affair so far. That could continue into the third and final match of the series with the Blackcaps fully aware that World Cup places are up for grabs.

The Qalandars are coming off a stunning victory over Karachi Kings on Saturday but that may have masked some of the deficiencies in their line-up. Their bowling unit was in stunning form but it may not be possible to replicate that again while their batsmen are not in great form.....

A fascinating game in store between Islamabad and Quetta here with both teams looking to stamp their authority on the tournament and click into form. Islamabad have had a mixed start and while they bat incredibly deep, their core batting order is struggling right now.

Northern Knights have named an extremely strong squad for this Grand Final and look like the team to beat. With plenty of Blackcaps in both squads, they are going to be the key to which way this final goes but the Knights have some incredible talent at their disposal.

The Qalandars have the team to do much better in this edition of the PSL but they demonstrated their losing mentality once again on Thursday in their opening match. They will have to shake that quickly if they are to compete in this tournament and they face a tough task against the Kings who have started well.

Multan Sultans narrowly lost in their first match but it was a valiant effort despite missing so many key batsmen. They may struggle in the first few matches of this tournament until they do recoup some batsmen and they will hope James Vince will be available soon after the Sydney Sixers lost in the Big Bash semi-finals.

The BBL08 final will be an all-Melbourne affair as the Renegades host the Stars in a mouth-watering prospect at Marvel Stadium but the home side will need a big performance to beat their rivals here.

New Zealand proved far too good for Bangladesh in the first ODI game of the three-match series and it could be a similar tale in the second match if the Tigers do not learn from their mistakes with early wickets preventing them from building a genuine score to defend.

Central Stags have a huge task on their hands as they head to Auckland for their elimination final, the scene of an eight-wicket loss to the Aces just last week. The Aces dominated the match, taking regular wickets before easily chasing their target to ensure they earned home advantage for this game.