Islamabad United toyed with the Karachi Kings in a sparkling game of Pakistan Super League (PSL). With this success, they claimed their fourth consecutive success on the season — their fourth consecutive win overall. The final took place at the National Stadium in Karachi. Islamabad United solidified their claim of being the best team in the league by remaining undefeated and widening their lead atop the PSL standings.
Karachi Kings, sent into bat by Islamabad United, never got going and lacked any able partnerships. Australian opening batsman David Warner had a horrible game, being bowled out for a mere three runs. His opening partner, James Vince, replicated that performance for just four runs before he too was dismissed. The Kings were on the back foot immediately as four of their batters were out for single digit scores.
Tim Seifert was the top scorer for Karachi Kings scoring 30 runs only for the team. And try as he might, the team just could not regroup after those swift initial blows. They crashed to a woeful 102-7, as the Islamabad United bowling unit was simply merciless. Abbas Afridi, though, stole the show by smashing two stumps of Azam Khan. Just moments prior to Khan’s dismissal, Mohammad Nabi had bowled Khan out for 31 runs.
With Karachi in trouble at the crease, Islamabad United’s bowlers ripped through Karachi’s batting lineup as they continued to apply pressure throughout the innings. The Kings’ failure to create connections eventually made them pay, leading to their low total. The Islamabad side highly capitalized on this opportunity. They took a very aggressive gun position and played for the win by holding out the rest of the game.
Pursuing the modest target, Shadab Khan stepped up to lead the charge for Islamabad United as they chased down the low target. Khan then played a touch, as he so often does, for the first half of his 47 off 40 balls. His showmanship has all but cemented his team’s reign over this PSL season so far. With this victory, Mohammad Nawaz led his team to an astounding four wins in four matches. Consequently, Islamabad United became the first team to firmly plant themselves at the top of the league standings.
With this win, Islamabad United moves four points clear of Lahore Qalandars at the top of the table. They have played one additional game than their opponents. Meanwhile, Karachi Kings remain in third place, grappling with consistency as they seek to improve their standings in the competition.
Leave a Reply