KARACHI: Braced with the biggest challenge they have ever encountered in the history of HBL Pakistan Super League, two-time former winners Islamabad United are now battling to avert missing out on a playoff place in this fifth edition.

The Misbah-ul-Haq-coached charges — currently fourth in the standings — are flirting with danger as they prepare for their last fixture of the preliminary stage against Karachi Kings here on Saturday with just seven points from nine games.

Veteran fast-bowling legend Dale Steyn, while assessing the precarious situation during a presser at the National Stadium, admitted on Wednesday his team had been through extremely tough times throughout the competition, winning just two tosses and losing all four at the Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi, which was Islamabad United’s home-base alongside co-hosts Peshawar Zalmi.

“The moment you have rain-shortened games it obviously becomes something of a lottery and we had a couple of up there [in Rawalpindi] which were affected by rain. Anything can really happen when the rain interferes, and when you are playing a 20-over game it’s a fair match, or even if you are playing a nine-over or whatever type, I guess it’s still fair enough,” Steyn told reporters.

“This is where one side can outplay the other just by marginally doing well. Whereas in a 20-over match you can expect to still come up sometimes. We’re probably at the wrong end of the toss a couple of times. Pindi being of the high-scoring grounds in the tournament with an average of almost 10, something like 9.7 or 9.8 runs per over; ideally you like to be chasing there.”

“There were like couple of factors which didn’t go our way. But it doesn’t matter now because we are in a position where we win that one [remaining] game, we make the playoffs, simple. The matter is left in our own hands and we can’t be complaining now.

“And if someone at the beginning said, ‘Hey guys you have one game to make the playoffs’ I think everyone would have accepted that. So we have a big game coming up on Saturday.”

Steyn had good words for the PSL and the crowds since he arrived late last week after the completion of his commitments with South Africa. “It’s has been really very exciting times for me to be touring Pakistan and enjoying playing [in the PSL]. I think it’s a very good tournament and extremely competitive. Seen some young bowlers who are talented and not only sharing my experience with them, but also learning from the lads!

“My focus is on T20 cricket these days and I’m preparing hard as anyone to be part of the South Africa side for the World Cup [in Australia] later in the year.”

Meanwhile, the 36-year-old Steyn remembered playing in Karachi during the 2007 tour by South Africa and highlighted taking the wicket of Younis Khan in the second innings.

“Yeah, it had quite been a long time since I came here all those years ago in 2007. But I still have fond memories of the Test we won against Pakistan,” Steyn reminisced while talking to Dawn. “In fact, I took five wickets in the second innings [seven in the match]. The most prized was that of Younis because he made a wonderful century [126] and I really had to work for his wicket.”

Steyn later went to the media centre floor and posed with a broad smile on his face.next to the honours’ board of the bowlers who have taken five or more wickets in a Test innings at the National Stadium.

“I’m happy to be part of the group [on the board] because there are some great names here like Wasim [Akram], Waqar [Younis], [Shane] Warne, [Glenn] McGrath in the list,” he recollected. “I can’t remember how I took wickets like McGrath does because he’s got amazing memory and can recount possibly each and every ball he had delivered!”

Published in Dawn, March 12th, 2020