KARACHI: The keyword to success is how teams peak in their bid to attain ultimate glory, and the fabrics of HBL Pakistan Super League are no different as the usual suspects of all four editions now prepare for the last dash at the trophy from Wednesday.

The gorgeous-looking National Stadium with the white canopy circling the imposing arena at the top of every stands after the small empty portion was covered the other day, will stage the remaining four fixtures of the eight-match program.

The Qualifier on Wednesday once again puts familiar rivals Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators against each. And although there is not much to choose between these evenly-matched outfits, the Gladiators do have the psychological advantage of having defeated their most fierce opponents in both their league-round meetings in the UAE. Overall, the Gladiators lead their head-to-head record against Zalmi with six wins, five losses and one match declared no-result.

But having said that the Gladiators’ propensity for chasing upon winning the toss and field first means they are vulnerable in defending the target. This was notably proved at Sharjah when Colin Ingram plundered a sensational 59-ball innings of 127 to singlehandedly steer Karachi Kings to a remarkable win.

The Gladiators team leader Sarfraz Ahmed has seen his team finished only second best in the first two PSL editions after losing the final against inaugural champions Islamabad United and Peshawar Zalmi, respectively. But in the 2017 title-decider in Lahore, he was cruelly robbed of several of his first-choice overseas signings, notably Shane Watson, who also skipped last year’s Eliminator 1 clash in Lahore where Darren Sammy’s charges sealed a dramatic victory by just one run.

However, the former Australian all-rounder has since had put his security fears behind by opting to accompany his franchise for the Pakistan leg this time. With Watson available and ex-West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo also raring to go, the Gladiators are at full strength and with the legendary West Indies batsman and captain of yesteryear, Sir Vivian Richards, as their mentor for the fourth successive season, should be the greatest source of inspiration.

Zalmi also have all the first-choice players at their disposal and Chris Jordan’s addition after completing his international assignments for England is due to join the team. Jordan, ironically, was Zalmi’s top-scorer in the 2018 final here against the United, although his fame is as a pace-bowling all-rounder.

And with Kamran Akmal striking form, Zalmi have been really the team to be feared of and the Gladiators will have to play their best cricket to go past them. The beauty of these Qualifier fixtures is that even in defeat there is still a second chance for the losing side to reach the final.

However this luxury simply doesn’t apply to the Eliminator 1 battle on Thursday. Therefore, both United and the Kings will be overly nervous when they take the field to decide which of them would be progressing to Friday’s Eliminator 2 against either Zalmi or the Gladiators.

With the lion being the common emblem for both these franchises, the red lion of the United is comfortably ahead of the Kings’ blue lion with a clear 7-4 advantage in their 11 head-to-head games, including both matches of the current campaign.

The significant plus, if any, for the Kings — who have never reached the final — is that they are playing on the home territory even though their team doesn’t has touch of ethnicity with not a single first-choice Karachiite in the entire team if one were to discount Jaahid Ali, the opener whose very inclusion in the Mickey Arthur-coached squad remains a deep-seeded mystery with none willing to comment on his selection for a format which he is yet to play!

The Kings’ qualification for the playoffs was largely because of their two come-from-behind victories against the fancied Gladiators. If Ingram was the hero in the Sharjah win, then Usman Khan Shinwari bailed them only three nights ago in that electrifying one-run triumph with three wickets in the final over of a pulsating encounter.

Imad Wasim, the Kings captain was born in Wales but permanently lives in Islamabad, but he won’t get any from his veteran United counterpart Mohammad Sami, who by a bizarre coincidence is very much a product of Karachi where he was not only born but also made his name as one of the most fearsome fast bowlers who later played for Pakistan with some distinction.

United, who held a training session at the National Stadium’s High Performance Centre on Tuesday afternoon, are set be considerably bolstered by that explosive England limited-overs specialist Alex Hales who is expected in the city on Wednesday after helping to a 3-0 sweep of the Twenty20 International series against world champions West Indies in the Caribbean.

Al these three playoff ties will start at 7:00pm, while Sunday’s final would start an hour later at 8:00pm because the organisers want to accommodate planned a star-studded closing ceremony ahead of the biggest match of the PSL.

Published in Dawn, March 13th, 2019