The Pakistan Super League has had a thrilling start on the pitch with some terrific low-scoring contests. But off it, the news has not been so good. A raft of players has been suspended because of match-fixing fears.
There is always the threat of corruption in Twenty20 franchise leagues and the PSL was never likely to be different. Indeed, it could have been argued it was more vulnerable. Pakistan players are some of the most poorly paid in the world and the temptation to make a fast buck is great.
Most punters are well aware that the game they are betting on could be manipulated. But most carry on regardless because they might feel one day it will work for them, the other day it won’t.
This contest on Wednesday should be a cracking affair. Islamabad are the champions and Quetta have real title pretensions of their own. So it is a shame it has been overshadowed by something so unsavory.
Islamabad has lost the services of Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif. The pair were sent back home as the inquiry continues. It robs them of two important players.
So in that regard, it is a slight surprise to see them such clear favourites. They are as short as 1.69 with NetBet and 10 Bet, for example. Those are crazy odds. The best is the 1.8 with Sportingbet and Ladbrokes.
Quetta is available at 2.1 with Bet365, Skybet, William Hill, Betfred, Paddy Power, and Boylesports.
Islamabad is one win from two. First, up against Peshawar they went all over the park on the field which was a surprise because it is a ball which should dominate bat. But they did superbly to chase 175 in reduced overs.
Against Lahore, however, they were again wasteful with the ball when failing to defend 159. Jason Roy and Brendon McCullum were in brutal form and Islamabad had no plans to tie them down and they were beaten comfortably.
The Quetta line-up is strong on hitters up top. Asad Shafiq and Ahmed Shehzad are a good opening combo and they have terrific strength in the middle order with Kevin Pietersen, the exiled Saffer Rilee Rossouw and home superstar Sarfaraz pulling the strings. It is not a huge surprise that they have two wins from two.
We expect the wicket to be slow and low in Dubai which will make it harder for the chaser. Indeed, before the start of the tournament, we thought the team batting first would have a major advantage.
That hasn’t happened yet but we are sure it will because a number of overs being played at one venue will take its toll. So it could be argued this is a toss game. That reinforces the view that Quetta is a great bet here.
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