KARACHI: A below-par show against Islamabad United, helplessness against a late onslaught by Quetta Gladiators and, sandwiched between both, a stomach bug affecting more than half of their squad have marred Karachi Kings’ homecoming so far.

The HBL Pakistan Super League franchise has been hit by adversity after winning two matches of the ongoing edition in a row following the defeat in their opening fixture.

Considering that the Kings are undergoing what they have called a “rebuilding” phase after missing out on the playoffs in the last two seasons, the start hasn’t been too bad — they won only three matches in the whole of the previous edition.

But their defeats against United and the Gladiators in their first two matches here at the National Bank Stadium were definitely setbacks they would be looking to bounce back from if they are to rise from their current fifth position in the standings with half of their league stage matches behind them.

Karachi could have been in a better place had Quetta’s Sherfane Rutherford not subjected them to a match-winning blitz on a night where the depleted home side gave it all on Thursday.

They face tougher opponents in table-toppers Multan Sultans on Sunday — the two-day break expected to help their players recover and a potential training session on Saturday for the squad to regroup under new captain Shan Masood.

“… with this tournament, you have close games, and obviously, we get a bit of a break now, a few trainings which will be good for the lads,” Karachi opener Tim Seifert told reporters after the drubbing by Quetta. “But, obviously looking at the table as well, we’re still very much in the tournament.”

Seifert, the New Zealander who is featuring for the first time in Pakistan, was behind the wickets when Rutherford and Akeal Hosein were snatching it away from the Kings and believed team-mates could have done better with the ball.

“Yeah, obviously they hit the ball very cleanly, but I think at the same time we probably didn’t quite execute,” he observed “We potentially gave them a couple too many balls that they could hit for six.

In close games like that, it does come down to one ball. I think it was one of those games where we were on top, and then they came back.”

The well-built right-hander believed it was important for Karachi to keep their heads high and look at the bigger picture to restore the confidence within the dressing room.

“Sometimes that’s cricket, and also that’s T20 cricket,” he said. “Unfortunately, we’re on the wrong side, but the boys are still very confident, and we’re still in the running to make the top four, which is the main thing.”

Seifert, who is one of the very few high-profile international players taking part in the current edition of the PSL, was upbeat about Karachi’s squad depth in the face of illness that has struck the team.

“… we’ve lost a couple of our players with illness, but you know that’s part of life as well,” he noted. “Some people get sick, but yeah, it doesn’t matter who the starting XI is; everyone’s capable of doing the job, and everyone’s backed in the squad to perform.”

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2024