KARACHI: Islamabad United maintained their unbeaten run in the tournament with a convincing six-wicket victory against Karachi Kings in the 10th fixture of the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) 10 here at National Bank Stadium on Sunday.
Chasing a modest total of 129 runs, the defending champions knocked the winning runs comfortably, losing three wickets in the process with 17 balls to spare.
Islamabad United were off to a solid start in pursuit of the target, posting 34 runs in four overs. The stand between Azam Khan and Sahibzada Farhan came to an end with the latter’s dismissal.
Sahibzada Farhan, the leading run-scorer in PSL 10, was caught after scoring 31 off 18 deliveries, an innings featuring five fours and one six. Colin Munro (4) was also dismissed in the same over, providing a brief opening for Karachi Kings.
However, the promoted opener Azam Khan remained firm at one end, forging a 65-run partnership with Shadab Khan. His gutsy 31 off 30 deliveries included three fours and one huge six.
Player of the Match Shadab Khan top-scored with a composed 47 off 40 balls, laced with five fours and two sixes.
For Karachi Kings, Hasan Ali was the stand-out bowler, taking two for 28 in his four overs while both Abbas Afridi and Mohammad Nabi claimed one wicket each.
Earlier, Abbas Afridi’s late blitz took Karachi Kings to a fighting total against Islamabad United.
Islamabad United’s captain, Shadab Khan, won the toss and chose to bowl first, a decision —a decision that paid off as they restricted the Kings to just 128 runs in 20 overs.
The defending champions struck early in bowler-friendly conditions. Naseem Shah led the attack, removing the Kings’ captain, David Warner, for just 3 runs in the second over with a beautiful delivery. The in-form batter James Vince also went early in the third over, scoring only 4 runs.
Following the early hiccup, opener Tim Seifert and emerging batter Saad Baig forged a brief partnership of 39 runs, taking the score to 61 in nine overs. The partnership ended with Baig’s dismissal, who fell prey to Shadab Khan.
The left-hander managed to score 20 off 17 deliveries with the help of four boundaries. Tim Seifert, who was looking solid, gave his wicket away to Imad Wasim, who dismissed him with a caught-and-bowled. The right-hander battled through his innings, scoring 30 off 37 deliveries with just one boundary.”
Islamabad United applied consistent pressure on Karachi Kings by taking wickets at regular intervals. The Kings’ middle-order batters, Khushdil Shah (17) and Irfan Khan (5), struggled in testing conditions and were dismissed cheaply.
The home team was reeling at 102-7 in 18 overs before Abbas Afridi’s quick-fire cameo lifted them to a fighting total. Karachi Kings added 26 runs in the last two overs, taking their total to 128.
For Islamabad United, Naseem Shah, Jason Holder, and Shadab Khan each took two wickets in an impressive bowling display.
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