HBL Pakistan Super League: Blistering Azam adds to Kings’ worries as United win at home

Kashif Abbasi Published March 4, 2023

ISLAMABAD United’s Azam Khan eyes a shot during the HBL Pakistan Super League match against Karachi Kings at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Friday.—AFP

RAWALPINDI: On their first HBL Pakistan Super League outing on home turf, Islamabad United delivered a classic.

The jam-packed crowd, which saw Azam Khan flog Karachi Kings here at the Pindi Cricket Stadium on a chilly Friday night, couldn’t have asked for more as the hosts emerged victorious by six wickets.

Azam — whose stormy innings against Quetta Gladiators in Karachi had earned him the reputation as one of the league’s most dangerous batters — played a blistering knock of 72 off 41 balls to help United chase down a decent 202-run target with four balls to spare, cancelling out Imad Wasim’s gallant effort with the bat.

For the Kings captain, it was yet another great innings that went in vain, as the Karachi outfit registered to their sixth defeat in eight matches. United, meanwhile, bounced back from a big defeat against Lahore Qalandars to record their fourth win in six matches.

They would have been worried when their top order batters Colin Munro, Alex Hales – who added 34 off 16 in his first match of the season – and Rassie van der Dussen fell after getting starts, leaving United at 69-3 at the start of the eighth over.

Kept from scoring boundaries for four overs by the Karachi bowlers, United were bailed out by Azam in the 11th over, as he pulled and swept Imad’s left-arm spin for a four and a six.

The right-hander showed brilliant footwork to flick and sweep chinaman bowler Tabraiz Shamsi for two sixes before expertly cutting medium pacer Andrew Tye for as many boundaries. The 15th over saw Azam flicking Aamer Yamin — who had cleaned up Hales earlier — for another boundary and Faheem Ashraf, who had been more of a

spectator in the partnership, pull the pacer for a maximum.

Azam brought up his 50 in 29 balls with a pull for four off Shamsi before sweeping the left-armer for another six in the next over. He paddle-swept Tye for two fours in the next over to bring up his century partnership with Faheem before exposing his stumps to make room and drive a yorker by pacer Mohammad Amir for four more in the 18th over.With just 19 required off the last two overs, Faheem lifted Tye over midwicket for a six after he was dropped by Shoaib Malik. But the left-hander was run out three balls later due to a a mix up between him and Azam, only after a collaboration of 124 off 69 balls between the duo. The incoming Asif Ali finished the match with four balls to spare with a six and a four off Yamin.

After winning the toss and opting to bat first, the Kings once again needed a special knock by Imad to post a big score. The left-hander, who has carried the Kings almost single-handedly as a batter in the tournament so far, smashed a brilliant 92 off 54 balls after the side had found themselves struggling after a decent start.

Opener Adam Rossington got the Kings off the mark with a chip over the infield for four off Rumman Raees while Sharjeel Khan, returning to the eleven, opened his hands with a swivel against Hasan Ali for the side’s first six.

Rumman drew first blood for United when he castled Sharjeel with an in-swinger. But Rossington spoiled United’s breakthrough with three boundaries to finish off the third over.

Tayyab Tahir, who had opened his scoring with a cover drive off Rumman, dispatched Faheem for a big six over the midwicket boundary before dancing down the ground to lift the pacer over his head for another.

The right-hander, however, miscued another attempt to hit out to get caught in the inner circle, giving Tom Curran his first wicket before Hasan returned to deceive Rossington to hurt the Kings further.

Despite losing three early wickets, the Kings had a decent 61-3 on the board by the end of the powerplay.

The wickets, however, had an impact on United’s run-rate. The duo of Malik and Imad couldn’t find boundaries in the opening two overs of spin and the former succumbed to an in-swinger by Faheem that crashed into his stumps.

The Kings started recovering when Imad, who had already hit two fours, took on Faheem for as many more in the 11th over. The left-hander bludgeoned Rumman for a huge six over midwicket before getting two more boundaries in the 15th over, which also saw him bringing up his half-century in just 35 balls.

Imad swatted Curran for four through the offside before hitting straight for a six in the 17th.

Irfan Khan Niazi got into his act with an audacious scoop off Hasan for his third boundary in the next over, which also saw him survive after Shadab Khan dropped an easy catch but Hasan’s valiant effort at the long-on boundary saw Irfan fall to Curran in the 19th.

Imad, unfazed, by his partner’s departure improvised brilliantly to add two more fours to the score before as many boundaries by Matthew Wade in the last over took the Kings to 201-5, which wasn’t enough for them at the end.

SCOREBOARD

KARACHI KINGS:

Batters & modes of dismissals R B 4s 6s SR

Sharjeel Khan b Rumman 8 6 0 1 133.33

Adam Rossington c van der Dussen b Hasan 20 16 4 0 125.00

Tayyab Tahir c Hasan b Curran 19 8 1 2 237.50

Shoaib Malik b Faheem 12 11 1 0 109.09

Imad Wasim not out 92 54 11 2 170.37

Irfan Khan c van der Dussen b Curran 30 20 4 0 150.00

Matthew Wade not out 13 6 2 0 216.66

EXTRAS (LB-4, NB-1, W-2) 7

TOTAL (for five wickets, 20 overs) 201