KARACHI: Irfan Khan and Hassan Khan delivered with the bat to secure the first victory for Hyderabad Kingsmen over Karachi Kings in the 20th fixture of the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 at the National Bank Stadium on Saturday.
Set 189, Hyderabad Kingsmen aced the chase in 19.1 overs, losing six wickets in the process.
Marnus Labuschagne and Maaz Sadaqat provided a rapid start with 35 on the board in 2.5 overs. The skipper made 26 from 10, including three fours and two sixes.
Hyderabad Kingsmen capitalized on a strong start as Sadaqat stitched a 60-run partnership with Usman Khan.
The duo made the chase look easy as Kingsmen’s scorecard read 96 in 7.5 overs. However, Abbas Afridi and Adam Zampa turned things around with consecutive wickets in back-to-back overs.
Afridi first removed Usman, who made 27 off 13 balls, while Zampa got rid of Sadaqat. The left-hander scored 37 off 29, including two sixes and four boundaries.
Karachi Kings bowlers further mounted pressure in the shape of Saim Ayub’s (6) and Glenn Maxwell’s (2) wickets.
As a result, Hyderabad Kingsmen slumped to 112-5 in 11.4 overs.
Following quick wickets, Kusal Perera and Irfan Khan put the chase back on track with a brief 27-run stand. But it was the former’s wicket that gave Karachi Kings a foothold on the match.
Perera made 17 from 14 deliveries with the help of a single boundary.
Consequently, Hyderabad Kingsmen required 50 from the last five overs with four wickets in hand.
Facing an uphill task, Irfan Khan and Hassan Khan combined to add a match-winning half-century stand to take their team over the line. Irfan struck two fours and a six on his way to 29 from 20, whereas Hassan quick-fire 33 from 16 included two maximums and two fours.
For Karachi Kings, Abbas Afridi took two wickets in four overs.
Earlier, Saad Baig’s half-century and Moeen Ali’s late surge powered Karachi Kings to a commanding total
Put in to bat first, Karachi Kings finished their innings at 188 for 8 in their 20 overs.
Karachi Kings’ innings started on a shaky note as Reeza Hendricks was caught at fine leg for two on the fourth ball of the opening over.
After an early blow, Salman Ali Agha and Muhammad Waseem joined hands and added 45 runs in 5.2 overs.
Salman Agha, who was looking fluent, got out after scoring 24 from 16 balls, hitting two sixes and two fours.
Hyderabad Kingsmen bowlers made a good comeback after the power play and got the prized wicket of Muhammad Waseem. The right-hander was lbw, thanks to a deadly yorker from Hunain Shah.
As a result, Karachi Kings were reduced to 59-3 in 7.2 overs.
With the Kings in trouble, Azam Khan and Saad Baig launched a swift recovery with a 61-run stand off 43 balls. The duo batted with authority, helping Karachi Kings reach 120 in 14.3 overs.
Azam made 26 from 19, including two sixes and a boundary.
Nonetheless, the highlight of the innings was stand-in skipper Moeen Ali’s whirlwind knock. The southpaw hit five maximums and a four, bringing the score to 175 in 18.1 overs.
Meanwhile, Baig was time-out after completing his half-century in the 18th over. He made 53 on 37 balls, hitting half a dozen boundaries.
For Hyderabad Kingsmen, Hunain Shah remained the pick of bowlers, taking three wickets in four overs while giving away only 19 runs.