The fifth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) has lived up to its billing so far, with several exciting contests served up already in the first phase.
None of the six franchises have been able to escape defeat in the opening rounds, although Multan Sultans are looking like the team to beat with four wins from their five games.
Held entirely on Pakistan soil for the first time in history, the PSL is seeing plenty of overseas participation this time around. As many as 35 overseas players are on show for the various franchises, with England being the most represented nationality.
As the league approaches its halfway stage, we take a look at how the overseas stars have fared so far.
ENGLAND
The Hits
Alex Hales (Karachi Kings)
After a promising but unspectacular start, the English batsman has exploded into life in recent matches.
Hales’ formidable 30-ball 52 against Islamabad United ensured that Karachi Kings chased down a stiff target of 184 with more than an over to spare.
He then repeated those exploits in the win against Peshawar Zalmi by smashing 49 runs off just 27 deliveries.
The 31-year-old has gone past 7,000 T20 runs in the process and is making a compelling case for his comeback to the national team with his displays in the BBL and now in the PSL.
Lewis Gregory (Peshawar Zalmi)
The former England U-19 skipper has had to bide his time before getting his chance with Peshawar and has made an instant impact.
The 27-year-old played an important cameo with the bat in the rain-curtailed clash against Lahore before wreaking havoc with the ball in hand.
Gregory decimated the Lahore top-order on his way to a four-wicket haul and earned his side a vital win.
He didn’t quite hit the same heights in his next game against Karachi, but he is set to become a regular in the Peshawar XI going forward.
The Duds
Liam Livingstone (Peshawar Zalmi)
After starting off the campaign with a scorching knock of 54, it has all gone downhill for Liam Livingstone.
He bagged a duck against Multan Sultans before being dismissed for just five runs in the subsequent clash against Lahore Qalandars.
While he did marginally improve against Karachi with a 25-run knock, it wasn’t near enough to help Peshawar post a fighting total.
Tom Banton (Peshawar Zalmi)
It just hasn’t happened for the exciting Tom Banton in what is his maiden PSL campaign.
The young England opener had a dismal start to life as a Zalmi player after aggregating just 20 runs in his first three appearances.
There were flashes of his brilliance in a rapid 34 against Lahore but a golden duck in his latest outing against Karachi has brought Banton crashing to ground once again.
There are no doubts about his talent but he will have to start delivering soon for Peshawar if he wants to maintain a place in the playing XI.
Others
Jason Roy continues to show why Quetta Gladiators were so desperate for his signature with his second half-century of the campaign. The England opener registered a 50-run knock in the win over Islamabad although he was scratchy in his 30-run stay in the loss to Multan Sultans.
Elsewhere, Moeen Ali was at his all-round best for Multan in their comprehensive win over Karachi. His 42-ball 65 as an opener laid the platform for a big Multan total, while his dismissal of Sharjeel Khan was equally important. Moeen, however, has been largely anonymous apart from that display.
Meanwhile, Dawid Malan has slowed down after an electric start for Islamabad with the left-hander unable to build on his starts in the last two outings.
James Vince, too, has had a topsy-turvy campaign for Multan with the right-hander averaging 23.50 after four appearances.
All-rounder Liam Dawson has failed to pick up a wicket for Multan, although he is looking in decent touch with the bat.
Veteran Samit Patel has impressed with his limited appearances for the sinking ship that is Lahore Qalandars.
Pacer Chris Jordan has slightly been on the expensive side for Karachi, but the Englishman has managed to grab seven wickets in his five appearances.
Fellow fast-bowler Tymal Mills, meanwhile, has been more economical for Quetta and has claimed five scalps in three outings.
Ravi Bopara was finally given an appearance for Multan but the 34-year-old could only muster nine runs in the victory over Karachi.
Phil Salt and Wayne Madsen, on the other hand, are yet to make an appearance in the tournament.
SOUTH AFRICA
The Hits
Rilee Rossouw (Multan Sultans)
The 30-year-old has blown hot and cold for Multan, though his impact has always been devastating in the case of the former.
He smashed the fastest ever PSL century (42 balls) to set up a big win against defending champions Quetta.
The right-hander showed a more mature side to his game against Peshawar by guiding his team with a 42-ball 49. He is one of the reasons for Multan’s rise to the top.
Imran Tahir (Multan Sultans)
Another South African who has aided Multan’s incredible run is veteran Imran Tahir.
After being taken to the cleaners by Islamabad United, the leg-spinner has shown his class with three impactful outings on the trot.
With his eight wickets in the campaign, Tahir is now only behind Pakistan’s Mohammad Hasnain in the wicket-taking charts.
The Duds
Dane Vilas (Lahore Qalandars)
There has been no turnaround in the wicketkeeper batsman’s fortunes with things going from bad to worse for Vilas. 24 runs are all the right-hander has managed in his three innings so far and he faces a big struggle ahead to keep his place in Lahore’s playing XI.
Others
Dale Steyn’s much awaited PSL debut finally arrived with the Proteas stalwart cranking up the pace in Islamabad United’s loss to Karachi Kings.
He accounted for compatriot Cameron Delport’s wicket in his sole outing, although his four overs leaked as many as 37 runs.
Delport, meanwhile, has had an eventful campaign with both and ball for Karachi with his 38-run knock against Islamabad being his best contribution so far.
One South African who continues to impress is David Wiese with the all-rounder picking up four wickets in three appearances for Lahore. He hasn’t had the same impact with the bat, however, with a 19-run cameo being his only major contribution.
Colin Ingram is turning out to be a key player for Islamabad with the left-hander averaging nearly 39 with the bat after five appearances. He was excellent in an unbeaten knock of 63 (40), though it ended up coming in a losing cause against Quetta.
AUSTRALIA
The Hits
Ben Cutting (Quetta Gladiators)
The Queenslander continued to be an influential figure for Quetta this season with a sensational display against Islamabad.
Just when all seemed lost for Quetta in their chase of 188, Cutting stepped up with a 17-ball 42 that included four big sixes. That performance came after his all-round match-winning display against the same opposition in Quetta’s campaign opener.
While he was slightly off colour in the loss against Multan, the Australian is turning out to be quite the purchase for Quetta.
The Duds
Fawad Ahmed (Quetta Gladiators)
The veteran Australian has not had things unfold his way on his return to the country of his berth. While the 38-year-old did manage to pick up two wickets with his leg-spin in Quetta’s loss to Peshwar, he has gone for more than 10 runs an over in both of his appearances so far.
Others
Quetta’s Shane Watson finished as the top scorer in last year’s PSL, but the Australian had been strangely subdued in his first four outings this campaign. He finally showed his value with a 41-ball 80 against Multan, although it wasn’t enough to get his side across the finish line.
Fellow opener Chris Lynn has been electric with a strike-rate of more than 190 after three appearances for Lahore Qalandars. Unfortunately for Lahore, Lynn hasn’t been able to push on for a big score with a 19-ball 39 against Multan being his best showing so far.
Meanwhile, wicketkeeper batsman Ben Dunk has not made the Lahore playing XI ever since he was dismissed for just three runs into the clash against Multan.
NEW ZEALAND
The Hits
Luke Ronchi (Islamabad United)
The veteran New Zealand wicketkeeper was looking impressive at the start of the campaign before going off the boil in his outings against Lahore and Quetta.
He has bounced back from those disappointments in style with an unbeaten 85 (58) against the Karachi Kings on Sunday.
He still ended up on the losing side, although the innings was enough to propel him into first place in the run-scoring charts for the season.
The Duds
Colin Munro (Islamabad United)
Ronchi’s fellow Islamabad opener and compatriot Colin Munro seems to have fizzled out after a rollicking start to his campaign. The Blackcaps stalwart registered a half-century against Multan in the early stages, but has aggregated a paltry 34 runs in four other innings for Islamabad.
Others
Pacer Mitchell McClenaghan has found chances hard to come by in a well settled Karachi unit and is still waiting for his first appearance.
WEST INDIES
Since most of the Windies contingent was away on international duty in Sri Lanka, just three players from the Caribbean have been on show so far this PSL.
Chief among them is Peshawar Zalmi’s Darren Sammy who was the toast of the nation just a couple of weeks ago when he was awarded honourary Pakistan citizenship.
The all-rounder’s performances, however, for Peshawar have been dire with just 44 runs from three innings and a solitary wicket. These unconvincing displays saw Sammy dropped from the Peshawar XI altogether in the clash against Karachi, with Wahab Riaz taking up the captaincy responsibilities instead.
Sammy’s cryptic tweet just minutes before the clash suggests all is not well between the West Indies man and Zalmi management.
Incidentally, Sammy was replaced in the playing XI by compatriot Carlos Brathwaite who performed well with the ball while picking up one wicket.
Wicketkeeper Chadwick Walton, on the other hand, has been a steady performer for Karachi and has chipped in with some valuable cameos down the batting order.
The remaining West Indies players including Kieron Pollard and Keemo Paul will join their respective franchises on March 7.
Meanwhile, sole Sri Lanka representative Seekkuge Prasanna is yet to make his debut for Lahore Qalandars.
