PSL 2023 3 things Lahore Qalandars and Peshawar Zalmi must improve in virtual semi-final.

Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium is set for a tantalising Pakistan Super League clash as teams with polar strengths and weaknesses clash for a place in Saturday's final.

The tournament's best bowling attack will take on the tournament's worst, with Shaheen Shah Afridi's men conceding only 1,745 runs in their 11 games as compared to Peshawar's 2,130.

On the flip side, this is also a clash between the tournament's best and worst batting attacks, with Babar Azam's men boasting a league-high 2,115 runs that eclipse Lahore's league-low 1,844.

It doesn't take much analysis to figure out which baskets these teams have placed most of their eggs in and both teams will be hoping their obvious weaknesses can manage to rein in their opposition's obvious strengths.

Lahore come into the game with an extra day's rest, but Peshawar come into it with momentum.

Here are three things both teams need to do better if they want to play the final against Multan Sultans:

Peshawar

Utilise Mujeeb better: On paper, off-spinner Mujeeb-ur-Rahman is Peshawar's best bowling weapon but the Afghanistan wizard has not managed to light up the tournament like some of his other compatriots have. Mujeeb's economy of 8.7 may be the second best of his side, just marginally worse than fellow spinner Sufyan Muqeem's 8.69, but that says more about the lack of quality around Mujeeb than it does about him.

Mujeeb only has four wickets and has perhaps been overused in the powerplay where he doesn't have as much protection. A refiring Mujeeb immediately fixes Peshawar's bowling problem and properly unleashing him against a struggling Lahore may allow him to feast again.

Middle order must carry on momentum: Peshawar's middle-order was uncharacteristically slow against Islamabad and the loss of momentum in the final five overs nearly came back to haunt them. The ball didn't quite come onto the bat once it got older on a two-paced pitch, but the approach of their lower middle order was particularly baffling.

The usually devastating trio of Tom Kohler-Cadmore, James Neesham, and Aamer Jamal made 19 runs between themselves in 30 deliveries. That is simply not good enough regardless of the conditions, especially considering Peshawar's strong start that saw them lose only three wickets in the first 13 overs.

Bowlers need to be more consistent: Perhaps the biggest problem that Babar faces is the unreliability of all his bowlers so far. The skipper was helped by an inspired Salman Irshad in the game...