KARACHI: It couldn’t have got gloomier than this for Karachi Kings.

Two horrendous run-outs and the sight of Babar Azam’s uprooted off-stump was perfectly symbolised where they stood at the seventh edition of the HBL Pakistan Super League.

Islamabad United, on the other hands, were led from the front by captain Shadab Khan as the all-rounder shone both with bat and ball in their 42-run win under lights here at the National Stadium on Sunday.

Shadab finished with impressive stats of 4-15 after playing a crucial knock of 34 off 19 (four fours and a six) to help United post 177 after they became the first team in the tournament to bat after winning the toss.

Afghan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi (47 off 28, five fours and two sixes) was the only Karachi batter to have played the way they needed to, to win their first match of the season.

All others, including skipper Babar, were far from convincing.

Sharjeel Khan, who’d have been expected to give Karachi a solid start, was involved in a mix-up with Babar, who made a call but did not run, as Sharjeel found himself in the middle of nowhere and Faheem Ashraf crashed the stumps at the non-striker end.

The casualty took place only in the second over before Babar (8) was castled by a Mohammad Wasim in-swinger.

While Babar lost his off-stump, Ian Cockbain, who arrived after him, lost his middle with Hasan Ali doing the honours this time.

Sahibzada Farhan (25 off 18), who was promoted up to number three, looked impressive when he hit three fours off Hasan and Faheem but another unbelievable run-out was his fate as well.

This time Imad Wasim was involved as the miscommunication took place.

It was now Shadab’s time to cause hurt to the already-reeling Kings. In the 12th over, the leg-spinner inflicted a stumping to get Lewis Gregory before making Imad hole it out to Colin Munro at cow corner.

The incoming Nabi hit three boundaries off Wasim in the 13th, only to see Chris Jordan and Mohammad Taha surrender to Shadab in the next over.

In the 16th, Nabi took on Wasim once again, smacking three more boundaries and a six off the pacer before Waqas Maqsood returned to get Umaid Asif.

Nabi kept doing his thing but by the end of 20 overs, Karachi could only manage 135-9.

Earlier, while none of their batters stood out individually, crucial contributions at the right moments helped United reach a healthy total.

However, the partnership between openers Alex Hales (30 off 21) and Paul Stirling (39 off 30) along with Shadab Khan and Munro’s (33 off 33) stand for the third-wicket proved key for the two-time winners.

The openers combined for 66 runs off 45 balls before Shadab and Munro put up 55 off 37 together while Asif Ali and Azam Khan hit cameos by the end of the innings.

United got things going in the very first over, when Stirling lofted Imad over the covers before slogging for a six past the midwicket fence off the left-armer.

Hales then took on Usman Shinwari — who was named in place of the injured Mohammad Ilyas — for two boundaries in the second over.

The Englishman freed his arms to cream the left-armer through the off-side before pouncing on a shorter one in the same reason for another boundary.

After only 16 runs came in the next three overs, Stirling hit another four and six as Babar introduced England pacer Jordan into the attack. Hales too took on his former international team-mate for a boundary to take Islamabad to 53-0 by the end of the powerplay.

Imad returned to dismiss Hales in the eighth over after the Englishman had smashed Gregory for two more boundaries. Hales found Gregory at the deep midwicket fence as he tried to clear Imad for a maximum.

Stirling too was gone as Nabi came in to bowl the tenth over. The Irishman missed not the best of the Afghan’s deliveries as he attempted a full-fledge pull shot before Shadab announced his arrival with a four in the same over.

As Nabi returned to bowl the 14th, Shadab carved him away over third-man for another boundary before slogging it high and long over the fence on the leg-side.

Shadab and Munro hit a four and a six respectively in the next over, bowled by Gregory. The former ended up getting caught brilliantly by Babar off Jordan in the 16th.

The incoming Asif (10 off 6), too, fell prey to some great fielding by Babar off Shinwari after hitting six. The Kings skipper took a catch in full motion while facing the boundary.

Munro holed it out to long-off to depart in the 19th over off Jordan before Azam (16 off 7) and Faheem combined to hit two fours and a six before the innings ended.

Scoreboard

ISLAMABAD UNITED:

Batsmen & mode of dismissals R B 4s 6s SR

Paul Stirling b Nabi 39 30 3 2 130.00

Alex Hales c Gregory b Imad 30 21 5 0 142.85

Colin Munro c Babar b Jordan 33 33 0 1 100.00

Shadab Khan c Babar b Jordan 34 19 4 1 178.94

Asif Ali c Babar b Shinwar 10 6 0 1 166.66

Azam Khan c Farhan b Umaid 16 7 2 1 228.57

Faheem Ashraf not out 7 5 0 1 140.00

EXTRAS (LB-4, W-2, NB-1, B-1) 8

TOTAL (for six wickets, 20 overs) 177

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-66 (Hales), 2-75 (Stirling), 3-130 (Shadab), 4-146 (Asif), 5-152 (Munro), 6-177 (Azam).

DID NOT BAT: Mubasir Khan, Mohammad Wasim, Hasan Ali, Waqas Maqsood

BOWLING: Imad 3-0-22-1; Usman 4-0-28-1 (2w); Umaid 4-0-28-1; Jordan 4-0-36-2; Gregory 2-0-25-0, Nabi 3-0-33-1 (1nb)

KARACHI KINGS:

Batsmen & mode of dismissals R B 4s 6s SR

Sharjeel Khan run out (Asif) 6 7 1 0 85.71

Babar Azam b Wasim 8 10 1 0 80.00

Sahibzada Farhan run out (Waqas) 25 18 4 0 138.88

Ian Cockbain b Hasan 2 5 0 0 40.00

Imad Wasim c Munro b Shadab 9 14 0 0 64.28

Lewis Gregory st Azam b Shadab 15 16 1 0 93.75

Mohammad Nabi not out 47 28 5 2 167.85

Chris Jordan b Shadab 5 4 1 0 125.00

Mohammad Taha lbw Shadab 0 2 0 0 00.00

Umaid Asif c Azam b Waqas 10 10 2 0 100.00

Usman Shinwari not out 8 6 0 1 133.33

TOTAL (for nine wickets, 20 overs) 135

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-6 (Sharjeel), 2-21 (Babar), 3-35 (Cockbain), 4-42 (Farhan), 5-65 (Gregory), 6-66 (Imad), 7-83 (Jordan), 8-83 (Taha), 9-110 (Umaid)

UMPIRES: Ahsan Raza (Pakistan) and Richard Illingworth (England)

TV UMPIRE: Aleem Dar (Pakistan)

BOWLING: Mubasir Khan 1-0-5-0, Faheem Ashraf 3-0-20-0, Waqas Maqsood 4-0-28-1, Mohammad Wasim 4-0-41-1, Hasan Ali 4-0-26-1, Shadab Khan 4-0-15-4

RESULT: Islamabad United win by 42 runs.

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Shadab Khan

MATCH REFEREE: Ranjan Madugalle (Sri Lanka)

Published in Dawn, February 7th, 2022